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1 / 41#41. Coaches and scouts
- Median annual wage: $35,730
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Kokomo that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Kokomo, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 41#40. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $39,590
- Median hourly wage: $19.03
- Total employment: 120 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
3 / 41#39. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $41,810
- Median hourly wage: $20.10
- Total employment: 30 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
4 / 41#38. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $46,080
- Median hourly wage: $22.16
- Total employment: 60 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
5 / 41#37. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $47,530
- Median hourly wage: $22.85
- Total employment: 60 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 41#36. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $49,500
- Median hourly wage: $23.80
- Total employment: 50 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
7 / 41#35. Public relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $50,330
- Median hourly wage: $24.20
- Total employment: 30 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 41#34. Child, family, and school social workers
- Median annual wage: $50,470
- Median hourly wage: $24.27
- Total employment: 80 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lopolo // Shutterstock
9 / 41#33. Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $50,880
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 180 people (5.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
10 / 41#32. Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $51,080
- Median hourly wage: $24.56
- Total employment: 80 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 41#31. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $56,790
- Median hourly wage: $27.30
- Total employment: 70 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
12 / 41#30. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $60,000
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 340 people (9.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
13 / 41#29. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $60,180
- Median hourly wage: $28.93
- Total employment: 60 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
14 / 41#28. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $60,320
- Median hourly wage: $29.00
- Total employment: 50 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 41#27. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $61,900
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 170 people (4.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 41#26. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $63,580
- Median hourly wage: $30.57
- Total employment: 50 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
17 / 41#25. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $65,530
- Median hourly wage: $31.50
- Total employment: 120 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 41#24. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $72,930
- Median hourly wage: $35.06
- Total employment: 40 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
19 / 41#23. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $75,530
- Median hourly wage: $36.31
- Total employment: 50 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
20 / 41#22. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $76,180
- Median hourly wage: $36.63
- Total employment: 160 people (4.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 41#21. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $76,700
- Median hourly wage: $36.87
- Total employment: 160 people (4.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 41#20. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $78,940
- Median hourly wage: $37.95
- Total employment: 30 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
23 / 41#19. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $80,360
- Median hourly wage: $38.63
- Total employment: 30 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
24 / 41#18. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $81,440
- Median hourly wage: $39.15
- Total employment: 40 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
25 / 41#17. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $81,680
- Median hourly wage: $39.27
- Total employment: 40 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 41#16. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $83,590
- Median hourly wage: $40.19
- Total employment: 60 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 41#15. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $84,880
- Median hourly wage: $40.81
- Total employment: 780 people (21.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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28 / 41#14. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $86,330
- Median hourly wage: $41.51
- Total employment: 40 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
29 / 41#13. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $96,340
- Median hourly wage: $46.32
- Total employment: 40 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 41#12. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $97,720
- Median hourly wage: $46.98
- Total employment: 110 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 41#11. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $97,850
- Median hourly wage: $47.04
- Total employment: 390 people (10.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
32 / 41#10. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,140
- Median hourly wage: $47.18
- Total employment: 60 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
33 / 41#9. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $98,230
- Median hourly wage: $47.23
- Total employment: 70 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 41#8. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $102,450
- Median hourly wage: $49.26
- Total employment: 150 people (4.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 41#7. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,560
- Median hourly wage: $49.79
- Total employment: 80 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
36 / 41#6. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $103,640
- Median hourly wage: $49.83
- Total employment: 40 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
37 / 41#5. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $117,300
- Median hourly wage: $56.40
- Total employment: 70 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
38 / 41#4. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $122,920
- Median hourly wage: $59.10
- Total employment: 100 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
39 / 41#3. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $126,310
- Median hourly wage: $60.73
- Total employment: 40 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
40 / 41#2. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $127,630
- Median hourly wage: $61.36
- Total employment: 110 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 41#1. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $128,410
- Median hourly wage: $61.73
- Total employment: 30 people (0.85 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.
