Highest-paying jobs in Peoria 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 Peoria 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.

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

1 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,410
- Median hourly wage: $29.04
- Total employment: 110 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Freedomz // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Health technologists and technicians, all other

- Median annual wage: $60,650
- Median hourly wage: $29.16
- Total employment: 230 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

3 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,850
- Median hourly wage: $29.26
- Total employment: 1,520 people (9.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $60,880
- Median hourly wage: $29.27
- Total employment: 110 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $60,950
- Median hourly wage: $29.30
- Total employment: 370 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Chemical equipment operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 140 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $61,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.50
- Total employment: 330 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $61,690
- Median hourly wage: $29.66
- Total employment: 30 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Virrage Images // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Refuse and recyclable material collectors

- Median annual wage: $61,710
- Median hourly wage: $29.67
- Total employment: 80 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $61,950
- Median hourly wage: $29.79
- Total employment: 330 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Transportation security screeners

- Median annual wage: $61,960
- Median hourly wage: $29.79
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $62,560
- Median hourly wage: $30.08
- Total employment: 140 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Painters, construction and maintenance

- Median annual wage: $62,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.09
- Total employment: 130 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $62,890
- Median hourly wage: $30.24
- Total employment: 100 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

15 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $63,020
- Median hourly wage: $30.30
- Total employment: 940 people (5.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $63,370
- Median hourly wage: $30.47
- Total employment: 110 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $63,460
- Median hourly wage: $30.51
- Total employment: 1,090 people (6.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $63,690
- Median hourly wage: $30.62
- Total employment: 110 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $64,590
- Median hourly wage: $31.06
- Total employment: 710 people (4.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

- Median annual wage: $65,000
- Median hourly wage: $31.25
- Total employment: 60 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Occupational health and safety technicians

- Median annual wage: $66,550
- Median hourly wage: $32.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

22 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $66,890
- Median hourly wage: $32.16
- Total employment: 270 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $67,530
- Median hourly wage: $32.47
- Total employment: 70 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

24 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $68,250
- Median hourly wage: $32.81
- Total employment: 1,060 people (6.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $68,760
- Median hourly wage: $33.06
- Total employment: 220 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $70,610
- Median hourly wage: $33.95
- Total employment: 190 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $71,980
- Median hourly wage: $34.61
- Total employment: 110 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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28 / 50

#23. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $72,630
- Median hourly wage: $34.92
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $74,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.83
- Total employment: 520 people (3.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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30 / 50

#21. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $74,870
- Median hourly wage: $35.99
- Total employment: 240 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

- Median annual wage: $74,890
- Median hourly wage: $36.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GolF2532 // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Security and fire alarm systems installers

- Median annual wage: $74,990
- Median hourly wage: $36.05
- Total employment: 190 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $76,110
- Median hourly wage: $36.59
- Total employment: 150 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $76,810
- Median hourly wage: $36.93
- Total employment: 610 people (3.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $76,920
- Median hourly wage: $36.98
- Total employment: 80 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $77,980
- Median hourly wage: $37.49
- Total employment: 860 people (5.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $78,060
- Median hourly wage: $37.53
- Total employment: 150 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $78,780
- Median hourly wage: $37.88
- Total employment: 70 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $80,840
- Median hourly wage: $38.87
- Total employment: 570 people (3.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

40 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $81,200
- Median hourly wage: $39.04
- Total employment: 560 people (3.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $82,440
- Median hourly wage: $39.64
- Total employment: 40 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $84,160
- Median hourly wage: $40.46
- Total employment: 350 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $86,590
- Median hourly wage: $41.63
- Total employment: 200 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $86,810
- Median hourly wage: $41.73
- Total employment: 160 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $87,730
- Median hourly wage: $42.18
- Total employment: 820 people (4.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

- Median annual wage: $89,980
- Median hourly wage: $43.26
- Total employment: 100 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $95,060
- Median hourly wage: $45.70
- Total employment: 90 people (0.56 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: $96,040
- Median hourly wage: $46.17
- Total employment: 700 people (4.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

- Median annual wage: $112,180
- Median hourly wage: $53.94
- Total employment: 30 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $120,240
- Median hourly wage: $57.81
- Total employment: 380 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.

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