fizkes // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
- Median annual wage: $65,850
- Median hourly wage: $31.66
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying jobs in Waterloo 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 Waterloo, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $66,040
- Median hourly wage: $31.75
- Total employment: 240 people (2.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $66,390
- Median hourly wage: $31.92
- Total employment: 140 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $66,600
- Median hourly wage: $32.02
- Total employment: 120 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $69,680
- Median hourly wage: $33.50
- Total employment: 1,960 people (22.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $69,920
- Median hourly wage: $33.62
- Total employment: 30 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $71,200
- Median hourly wage: $34.23
- Total employment: 550 people (6.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $75,550
- Median hourly wage: $36.32
- Total employment: 120 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $75,940
- Median hourly wage: $36.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $76,150
- Median hourly wage: $36.61
- Total employment: 1,660 people (19.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $77,270
- Median hourly wage: $37.15
- Total employment: 70 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $77,750
- Median hourly wage: $37.38
- Total employment: 60 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $78,940
- Median hourly wage: $37.95
- Total employment: 130 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Meeting, convention, and event planners
- Median annual wage: $80,370
- Median hourly wage: $38.64
- Total employment: 140 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $80,990
- Median hourly wage: $38.94
- Total employment: 210 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $81,420
- Median hourly wage: $39.14
- Total employment: 90 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $81,780
- Median hourly wage: $39.32
- Total employment: 70 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $82,070
- Median hourly wage: $39.46
- Total employment: 70 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $82,390
- Median hourly wage: $39.61
- Total employment: 50 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $82,920
- Median hourly wage: $39.87
- Total employment: 60 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $83,030
- Median hourly wage: $39.92
- Total employment: 150 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Property appraisers and assessors
- Median annual wage: $83,940
- Median hourly wage: $40.36
- Total employment: 30 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $87,100
- Median hourly wage: $41.88
- Total employment: 30 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $88,820
- Median hourly wage: $42.70
- Total employment: 90 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $88,890
- Median hourly wage: $42.74
- Total employment: 140 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $90,920
- Median hourly wage: $43.71
- Total employment: 40 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $93,630
- Median hourly wage: $45.01
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $93,720
- Median hourly wage: $45.06
- Total employment: 50 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $94,690
- Median hourly wage: $45.52
- Total employment: 100 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $94,840
- Median hourly wage: $45.59
- Total employment: 120 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $95,450
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 30 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $96,000
- Median hourly wage: $46.15
- Total employment: 100 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,220
- Median hourly wage: $46.26
- Total employment: 390 people (4.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $97,150
- Median hourly wage: $46.71
- Total employment: 110 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $97,410
- Median hourly wage: $46.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,570
- Median hourly wage: $46.91
- Total employment: 290 people (3.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $97,650
- Median hourly wage: $46.95
- Total employment: 40 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $100,660
- Median hourly wage: $48.40
- Total employment: 80 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,300
- Median hourly wage: $48.70
- Total employment: 130 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $102,510
- Median hourly wage: $49.28
- Total employment: 270 people (3.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $102,760
- Median hourly wage: $49.40
- Total employment: 200 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $109,120
- Median hourly wage: $52.46
- Total employment: 50 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $109,520
- Median hourly wage: $52.65
- Total employment: 360 people (4.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $113,910
- Median hourly wage: $54.77
- Total employment: 80 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $116,030
- Median hourly wage: $55.79
- Total employment: 390 people (4.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $119,350
- Median hourly wage: $57.38
- Total employment: 80 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $122,440
- Median hourly wage: $58.86
- Total employment: 130 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $128,340
- Median hourly wage: $61.70
- Total employment: 80 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $132,090
- Median hourly wage: $63.51
- Total employment: 140 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $155,110
- Median hourly wage: $74.57
- Total employment: 170 people (1.94 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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