Highest-paying jobs in Springfield, Illinois 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 Springfield 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.

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1 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $55,680
- Median hourly wage: $26.77
- Total employment: 250 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $56,330
- Median hourly wage: $27.08
- Total employment: 310 people (2.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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3 / 50

#48. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $56,400
- Median hourly wage: $27.12
- Total employment: 340 people (3.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Indypendenz // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

- Median annual wage: $56,530
- Median hourly wage: $27.18
- Total employment: 140 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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5 / 50

#46. Massage therapists

- Median annual wage: $57,570
- Median hourly wage: $27.68
- Total employment: 70 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $57,940
- Median hourly wage: $27.86
- Total employment: 490 people (4.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $58,330
- Median hourly wage: $28.04
- Total employment: 90 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Philip Lange // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Highway maintenance workers

- Median annual wage: $58,740
- Median hourly wage: $28.24
- Total employment: 180 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $59,280
- Median hourly wage: $28.50
- Total employment: 110 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

10 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $59,960
- Median hourly wage: $28.83
- Total employment: 590 people (5.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $60,080
- Median hourly wage: $28.88
- Total employment: 150 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GolF2532 // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Security and fire alarm systems installers

- Median annual wage: $60,200
- Median hourly wage: $28.94
- Total employment: 50 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

13 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,350
- Median hourly wage: $29.02
- Total employment: 580 people (5.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $60,390
- Median hourly wage: $29.03
- Total employment: 210 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $61,350
- Median hourly wage: $29.49
- Total employment: 140 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $61,660
- Median hourly wage: $29.65
- Total employment: 90 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $61,710
- Median hourly wage: $29.67
- Total employment: 50 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

18 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,750
- Median hourly wage: $29.69
- Total employment: 90 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $61,760
- Median hourly wage: $29.69
- Total employment: 130 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $61,890
- Median hourly wage: $29.75
- Total employment: 230 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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21 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,940
- Median hourly wage: $29.78
- Total employment: 610 people (5.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Painters, construction and maintenance

- Median annual wage: $62,170
- Median hourly wage: $29.89
- Total employment: 110 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $62,520
- Median hourly wage: $30.06
- Total employment: 500 people (4.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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24 / 50

#27. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $64,610
- Median hourly wage: $31.06
- Total employment: 200 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Public safety telecommunicators

- Median annual wage: $64,790
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 130 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

26 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 260 people (2.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

27 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $65,290
- Median hourly wage: $31.39
- Total employment: 130 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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28 / 50

#23. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $66,850
- Median hourly wage: $32.14
- Total employment: 50 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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29 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $67,090
- Median hourly wage: $32.26
- Total employment: 110 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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30 / 50

#21. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $69,780
- Median hourly wage: $33.55
- Total employment: 50 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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31 / 50

#20. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $69,810
- Median hourly wage: $33.56
- Total employment: 840 people (8.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

32 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $70,050
- Median hourly wage: $33.68
- Total employment: 50 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $70,980
- Median hourly wage: $34.12
- Total employment: 50 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $72,490
- Median hourly wage: $34.85
- Total employment: 330 people (3.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

brizmaker // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Roofers

- Median annual wage: $76,640
- Median hourly wage: $36.85
- Total employment: 270 people (2.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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36 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $78,190
- Median hourly wage: $37.59
- Total employment: 300 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $78,640
- Median hourly wage: $37.81
- Total employment: 30 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $80,130
- Median hourly wage: $38.53
- Total employment: 470 people (4.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $81,380
- Median hourly wage: $39.12
- Total employment: 80 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $82,510
- Median hourly wage: $39.67
- Total employment: 350 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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goodluz // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $82,690
- Median hourly wage: $39.75
- Total employment: 100 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $83,530
- Median hourly wage: $40.16
- Total employment: 50 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $88,070
- Median hourly wage: $42.34
- Total employment: 280 people (2.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $90,690
- Median hourly wage: $43.60
- Total employment: 130 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

45 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $91,080
- Median hourly wage: $43.79
- Total employment: 300 people (2.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $97,940
- Median hourly wage: $47.09
- Total employment: 60 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $99,950
- Median hourly wage: $48.05
- Total employment: 230 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $102,050
- Median hourly wage: $49.06
- Total employment: 70 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Washburn HM // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Transportation inspectors

- Median annual wage: $106,850
- Median hourly wage: $51.37
- Total employment: 60 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $108,270
- Median hourly wage: $52.05
- Total employment: 170 people (1.69 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.