Highest-paying jobs in Kankakee that don't require a college degree

Gen Z has figured out that college isn't the only way to land a high-paying job. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 2 in 5 (38.6%) of recent high school graduates opted out of college in 2023, up from 33.8% in 2019.

This shift comes at a good time for high school grads, as companies face labor shortages for many jobs that don't require a college degree. Baby boomers retiring and a trend to reopen factories in the United States have both driven demand for young talent. A July 2024 Intelligent report found that 1 in 3 companies have already dropped bachelor's degree requirements across entry-level, mid-tier, and even senior positions to attract more employees.

The need for skilled workers, regardless of educational attainment, means better pay. Median wages for those with a high school degree are at their highest since 1990, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

At $40,000 on average, these wages are still $20,000 lower than those of a college grad. Yet nearly 1 in 5 workers who opt out of college earn more than employees with bachelor's degrees. Two million high school grads across the U.S. make six-figure annual salaries—without the financial burden of attending a four-year university. As of 2025, the average annual cost of college is more than $38,200 per student, and the average college graduate has more than $39,000 in student debt. It's little wonder that, according to a May 2024 survey from Pew Research, 29% of Americans think attending college is not worthwhile.

However, not every career field pays high school grads equally well, and understanding what the good jobs are is the first step to landing one. Stacker ranked the 50 highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree in Kankakee using annual compensation data from the BLS. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma, a postsecondary nondegree award, or had no formal education requirements for entry-level positions. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.

Vitpho // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $46,260
- Median hourly wage: $22.24
- Total employment: 760 people (18.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Dental assistants

- Median annual wage: $46,270
- Median hourly wage: $22.25
- Total employment: 70 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Production workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $46,380
- Median hourly wage: $22.30
- Total employment: 190 people (4.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Freedomz // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Health technologists and technicians, all other

- Median annual wage: $46,460
- Median hourly wage: $22.34
- Total employment: 60 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $46,720
- Median hourly wage: $22.46
- Total employment: 40 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Hunter Bliss Images // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $47,160
- Median hourly wage: $22.68
- Total employment: 190 people (4.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

- Median annual wage: $47,350
- Median hourly wage: $22.76
- Total employment: 250 people (5.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DC Studio // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance

- Median annual wage: $49,930
- Median hourly wage: $24.00
- Total employment: 50 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

- Median annual wage: $49,940
- Median hourly wage: $24.01
- Total employment: 190 people (4.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Real estate sales agents

- Median annual wage: $51,280
- Median hourly wage: $24.65
- Total employment: 40 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $51,390
- Median hourly wage: $24.71
- Total employment: 190 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $51,520
- Median hourly wage: $24.77
- Total employment: 40 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Automotive body and related repairers

- Median annual wage: $52,820
- Median hourly wage: $25.39
- Total employment: 50 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $52,880
- Median hourly wage: $25.42
- Total employment: 150 people (3.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $53,290
- Median hourly wage: $25.62
- Total employment: 120 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Yuriy Golub // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Glaziers

- Median annual wage: $54,420
- Median hourly wage: $26.16
- Total employment: 30 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

XiXinXing // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Medical records specialists

- Median annual wage: $54,720
- Median hourly wage: $26.31
- Total employment: 40 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Maintenance and repair workers, general

- Median annual wage: $55,030
- Median hourly wage: $26.46
- Total employment: 550 people (12.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $55,410
- Median hourly wage: $26.64
- Total employment: 30 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $56,160
- Median hourly wage: $27.00
- Total employment: 110 people (2.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $56,300
- Median hourly wage: $27.07
- Total employment: 50 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $57,780
- Median hourly wage: $27.78
- Total employment: 40 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $58,140
- Median hourly wage: $27.95
- Total employment: 80 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $58,460
- Median hourly wage: $28.10
- Total employment: 150 people (3.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $58,670
- Median hourly wage: $28.21
- Total employment: 240 people (5.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $58,770
- Median hourly wage: $28.26
- Total employment: 70 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $59,680
- Median hourly wage: $28.69
- Total employment: 40 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $60,560
- Median hourly wage: $29.12
- Total employment: 90 people (2.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $60,930
- Median hourly wage: $29.29
- Total employment: 110 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $61,290
- Median hourly wage: $29.46
- Total employment: 70 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $61,370
- Median hourly wage: $29.51
- Total employment: 30 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $62,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.85
- Total employment: 380 people (9.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $62,170
- Median hourly wage: $29.89
- Total employment: 210 people (4.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $62,330
- Median hourly wage: $29.97
- Total employment: 110 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $62,670
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 50 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $63,390
- Median hourly wage: $30.48
- Total employment: 260 people (6.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $64,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.96
- Total employment: 60 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $65,410
- Median hourly wage: $31.45
- Total employment: 280 people (6.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Public safety telecommunicators

- Median annual wage: $68,370
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 40 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $68,380
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 30 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $70,280
- Median hourly wage: $33.79
- Total employment: 120 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $71,120
- Median hourly wage: $34.19
- Total employment: 200 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Philip Lange // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Highway maintenance workers

- Median annual wage: $71,150
- Median hourly wage: $34.21
- Total employment: 100 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $76,100
- Median hourly wage: $36.59
- Total employment: 130 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $82,490
- Median hourly wage: $39.66
- Total employment: 120 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $87,270
- Median hourly wage: $41.96
- Total employment: 120 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $90,590
- Median hourly wage: $43.55
- Total employment: 90 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $96,060
- Median hourly wage: $46.18
- Total employment: 110 people (2.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)