luchschenF // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $81,000
- Median hourly wage: $38.94
- Total employment: 80 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Wichita 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 Wichita, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $81,130
- Median hourly wage: $39.01
- Total employment: 1,120 people (3.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $81,280
- Median hourly wage: $39.08
- Total employment: 5,160 people (16.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Teachers and instructors, all other
- Median annual wage: $81,850
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 200 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
science photo // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Food scientists and technologists
- Median annual wage: $82,990
- Median hourly wage: $39.90
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $85,460
- Median hourly wage: $41.09
- Total employment: 140 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $86,940
- Median hourly wage: $41.80
- Total employment: 600 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $87,290
- Median hourly wage: $41.97
- Total employment: 30 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $90,070
- Median hourly wage: $43.30
- Total employment: 60 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $91,740
- Median hourly wage: $44.11
- Total employment: 60 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $91,770
- Median hourly wage: $44.12
- Total employment: 850 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $92,150
- Median hourly wage: $44.30
- Total employment: 430 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $92,990
- Median hourly wage: $44.71
- Total employment: 260 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $93,690
- Median hourly wage: $45.04
- Total employment: 500 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $94,320
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 260 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $95,260
- Median hourly wage: $45.80
- Total employment: 190 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
THICHA SATAPITANON // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Financial risk specialists
- Median annual wage: $95,450
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 30 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $96,360
- Median hourly wage: $46.33
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $96,520
- Median hourly wage: $46.40
- Total employment: 230 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $96,920
- Median hourly wage: $46.60
- Total employment: 440 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Halfpoint // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,200
- Median hourly wage: $46.73
- Total employment: 200 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
H_Ko // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Materials scientists
- Median annual wage: $98,110
- Median hourly wage: $47.17
- Total employment: 30 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $98,770
- Median hourly wage: $47.48
- Total employment: 730 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,840
- Median hourly wage: $47.52
- Total employment: 1,250 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,060
- Median hourly wage: $48.11
- Total employment: 140 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $100,180
- Median hourly wage: $48.16
- Total employment: 910 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $101,710
- Median hourly wage: $48.90
- Total employment: 190 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $101,910
- Median hourly wage: $49.00
- Total employment: 100 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $102,440
- Median hourly wage: $49.25
- Total employment: 2,170 people (7.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $103,170
- Median hourly wage: $49.60
- Total employment: 40 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $104,950
- Median hourly wage: $50.46
- Total employment: 70 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $107,230
- Median hourly wage: $51.55
- Total employment: 210 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Another77 // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $108,420
- Median hourly wage: $52.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $113,990
- Median hourly wage: $54.80
- Total employment: Not available
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $116,970
- Median hourly wage: $56.24
- Total employment: 40 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $117,260
- Median hourly wage: $56.37
- Total employment: 40 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $118,090
- Median hourly wage: $56.78
- Total employment: 30 people (0.1 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: $119,920
- Median hourly wage: $57.65
- Total employment: 360 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $121,790
- Median hourly wage: $58.55
- Total employment: 250 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $122,180
- Median hourly wage: $58.74
- Total employment: 500 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $125,890
- Median hourly wage: $60.53
- Total employment: 480 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $126,700
- Median hourly wage: $60.91
- Total employment: 230 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $127,050
- Median hourly wage: $61.08
- Total employment: 1,510 people (4.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $133,860
- Median hourly wage: $64.36
- Total employment: 170 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $135,420
- Median hourly wage: $65.11
- Total employment: 760 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $142,400
- Median hourly wage: $68.46
- Total employment: 930 people (3.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $144,660
- Median hourly wage: $69.55
- Total employment: 510 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $148,030
- Median hourly wage: $71.17
- Total employment: 300 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $149,740
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $179,740
- Median hourly wage: $86.41
- Total employment: 440 people (1.43 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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