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1 / 50#50. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $84,670
- Median hourly wage: $40.71
- Total employment: 18,560 people (27.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Louisville 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 Louisville, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $84,750
- Median hourly wage: $40.75
- Total employment: 180 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Financial examiners
- Median annual wage: $84,850
- Median hourly wage: $40.79
- Total employment: 120 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $86,720
- Median hourly wage: $41.69
- Total employment: 200 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $86,820
- Median hourly wage: $41.74
- Total employment: 1,030 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $86,940
- Median hourly wage: $41.80
- Total employment: 80 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $86,970
- Median hourly wage: $41.81
- Total employment: 1,860 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $88,000
- Median hourly wage: $42.31
- Total employment: 1,960 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $88,330
- Median hourly wage: $42.46
- Total employment: 510 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $88,750
- Median hourly wage: $42.67
- Total employment: Not available
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11 / 50#40. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $89,040
- Median hourly wage: $42.81
- Total employment: 200 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $89,390
- Median hourly wage: $42.98
- Total employment: 260 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $90,570
- Median hourly wage: $43.55
- Total employment: 390 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $94,230
- Median hourly wage: $45.30
- Total employment: 260 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $96,410
- Median hourly wage: $46.35
- Total employment: 1,470 people (2.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $96,480
- Median hourly wage: $46.38
- Total employment: 760 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $96,560
- Median hourly wage: $46.42
- Total employment: 1,970 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,170
- Median hourly wage: $46.72
- Total employment: 60 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $98,330
- Median hourly wage: $47.28
- Total employment: 100 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,090
- Median hourly wage: $47.64
- Total employment: 1,040 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $99,110
- Median hourly wage: $47.65
- Total employment: 810 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,370
- Median hourly wage: $47.77
- Total employment: 580 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $99,880
- Median hourly wage: $48.02
- Total employment: 120 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Social workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $100,380
- Median hourly wage: $48.26
- Total employment: 170 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $101,930
- Median hourly wage: $49.01
- Total employment: 550 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $103,250
- Median hourly wage: $49.64
- Total employment: 60 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,400
- Median hourly wage: $49.71
- Total employment: 110 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,410
- Median hourly wage: $49.72
- Total employment: 1,180 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,760
- Median hourly wage: $49.88
- Total employment: 730 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,790
- Median hourly wage: $50.38
- Total employment: 90 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $104,970
- Median hourly wage: $50.47
- Total employment: 950 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $106,440
- Median hourly wage: $51.18
- Total employment: 280 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $106,470
- Median hourly wage: $51.19
- Total employment: 2,850 people (4.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $107,370
- Median hourly wage: $51.62
- Total employment: 60 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $107,440
- Median hourly wage: $51.65
- Total employment: 220 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $108,100
- Median hourly wage: $51.97
- Total employment: 70 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $108,170
- Median hourly wage: $52.01
- Total employment: 2,650 people (3.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $109,000
- Median hourly wage: $52.40
- Total employment: 1,530 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $116,170
- Median hourly wage: $55.85
- Total employment: 600 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $117,370
- Median hourly wage: $56.43
- Total employment: 220 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $119,790
- Median hourly wage: $57.59
- Total employment: 280 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $121,000
- Median hourly wage: $58.17
- Total employment: 740 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $130,980
- Median hourly wage: $62.97
- Total employment: 880 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $131,770
- Median hourly wage: $63.35
- Total employment: 1,040 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $132,750
- Median hourly wage: $63.82
- Total employment: 2,360 people (3.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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dokurose // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $133,660
- Median hourly wage: $64.26
- Total employment: 2,870 people (4.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $136,260
- Median hourly wage: $65.51
- Total employment: 1,290 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $138,190
- Median hourly wage: $66.44
- Total employment: 490 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $154,780
- Median hourly wage: $74.41
- Total employment: 110 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $205,570
- Median hourly wage: $98.83
- Total employment: 960 people (1.4 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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