Highest-paying jobs in Louisville 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 Louisville 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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Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Gas plant operators

- Median annual wage: $61,660
- Median hourly wage: $29.64
- Total employment: 40 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $61,790
- Median hourly wage: $29.71
- Total employment: 3,150 people (4.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $61,890
- Median hourly wage: $29.75
- Total employment: 3,870 people (5.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LuckView // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $61,930
- Median hourly wage: $29.77
- Total employment: 2,950 people (4.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $62,060
- Median hourly wage: $29.84
- Total employment: 760 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $62,240
- Median hourly wage: $29.92
- Total employment: 2,920 people (4.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $62,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.98
- Total employment: 2,940 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Finist4 // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Manicurists and pedicurists

- Median annual wage: $62,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.00
- Total employment: 80 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $62,520
- Median hourly wage: $30.06
- Total employment: 600 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $62,740
- Median hourly wage: $30.16
- Total employment: 560 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $62,940
- Median hourly wage: $30.26
- Total employment: 60 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nagy-Bagoly Arpad // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Insulation workers, mechanical

- Median annual wage: $62,980
- Median hourly wage: $30.28
- Total employment: 70 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $63,170
- Median hourly wage: $30.37
- Total employment: 2,290 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $63,190
- Median hourly wage: $30.38
- Total employment: 120 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

NDAB Creativity // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Massage therapists

- Median annual wage: $63,880
- Median hourly wage: $30.71
- Total employment: 250 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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rlat // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $64,730
- Median hourly wage: $31.12
- Total employment: 250 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $64,780
- Median hourly wage: $31.14
- Total employment: 330 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

18 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,990
- Median hourly wage: $31.24
- Total employment: 470 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

19 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $65,220
- Median hourly wage: $31.36
- Total employment: 6,590 people (9.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

20 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 5,680 people (8.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $66,410
- Median hourly wage: $31.93
- Total employment: 2,490 people (3.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $66,560
- Median hourly wage: $32.00
- Total employment: 170 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Chemical equipment operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $68,360
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 980 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rezoff // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Plant and system operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $68,580
- Median hourly wage: $32.97
- Total employment: 50 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $71,390
- Median hourly wage: $34.32
- Total employment: 2,240 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Jat306 // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $71,510
- Median hourly wage: $34.38
- Total employment: 520 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $71,570
- Median hourly wage: $34.41
- Total employment: 620 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

- Median annual wage: $73,180
- Median hourly wage: $35.18
- Total employment: 180 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

29 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $73,780
- Median hourly wage: $35.47
- Total employment: 4,320 people (6.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

HannaTor // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Gambling managers

- Median annual wage: $74,960
- Median hourly wage: $36.04
- Total employment: 30 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $75,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.07
- Total employment: 570 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $75,080
- Median hourly wage: $36.10
- Total employment: 260 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $75,450
- Median hourly wage: $36.28
- Total employment: 370 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders

- Median annual wage: $75,470
- Median hourly wage: $36.29
- Total employment: 150 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $75,820
- Median hourly wage: $36.45
- Total employment: 1,120 people (1.64 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: $76,170
- Median hourly wage: $36.62
- Total employment: 3,220 people (4.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

37 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,650
- Median hourly wage: $36.85
- Total employment: 910 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $77,310
- Median hourly wage: $37.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

39 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $77,570
- Median hourly wage: $37.29
- Total employment: 3,030 people (4.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Akimov Igor // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $79,270
- Median hourly wage: $38.11
- Total employment: 90 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $81,510
- Median hourly wage: $39.19
- Total employment: 630 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Yulai Studio // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Surgical assistants

- Median annual wage: $90,210
- Median hourly wage: $43.37
- Total employment: 120 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $91,950
- Median hourly wage: $44.21
- Total employment: 200 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Josep Suria // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $95,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.98
- Total employment: 60 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $96,010
- Median hourly wage: $46.16
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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46 / 50

#5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $98,310
- Median hourly wage: $47.26
- Total employment: 370 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $102,040
- Median hourly wage: $49.06
- Total employment: 1,000 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lovely Bird // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Power distributors and dispatchers

- Median annual wage: $105,320
- Median hourly wage: $50.64
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 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: 100 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Skycolors // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Commercial pilots

- Median annual wage: $109,770
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 200 people (0.3 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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