4 PM production // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Automotive body and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $42,280
- Median hourly wage: $20.33
- Total employment: 50 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Owensboro for high school graduates
For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.
According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.
With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.
Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Owensboro for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. 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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Efired // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Bill and account collectors
- Median annual wage: $42,540
- Median hourly wage: $20.45
- Total employment: 100 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of entertainment and recreation workers, except gambling services
- Median annual wage: $42,900
- Median hourly wage: $20.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Billing and posting clerks
- Median annual wage: $42,950
- Median hourly wage: $20.65
- Total employment: 100 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Construction laborers
- Median annual wage: $42,960
- Median hourly wage: $20.65
- Total employment: 330 people (6.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Median annual wage: $43,620
- Median hourly wage: $20.97
- Total employment: 480 people (9.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lee Charlie // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Median annual wage: $44,280
- Median hourly wage: $21.29
- Total employment: 90 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DC Studio // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Median annual wage: $44,530
- Median hourly wage: $21.41
- Total employment: 70 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Median annual wage: $44,790
- Median hourly wage: $21.53
- Total employment: 340 people (7.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitreel // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $44,860
- Median hourly wage: $21.57
- Total employment: 170 people (3.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $45,450
- Median hourly wage: $21.85
- Total employment: 30 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $45,690
- Median hourly wage: $21.97
- Total employment: 110 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Glenn Highcove // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Median annual wage: $45,810
- Median hourly wage: $22.02
- Total employment: 270 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Median annual wage: $46,680
- Median hourly wage: $22.44
- Total employment: 300 people (6.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $46,820
- Median hourly wage: $22.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Joey Chung // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $46,860
- Median hourly wage: $22.53
- Total employment: 170 people (3.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $47,030
- Median hourly wage: $22.61
- Total employment: 50 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Hunter Bliss Images // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $47,220
- Median hourly wage: $22.70
- Total employment: 60 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $48,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.35
- Total employment: 210 people (4.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $48,580
- Median hourly wage: $23.36
- Total employment: Not available
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Kot500 // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $48,790
- Median hourly wage: $23.46
- Total employment: 70 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $50,080
- Median hourly wage: $24.08
- Total employment: 450 people (9.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $50,200
- Median hourly wage: $24.13
- Total employment: 170 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $51,300
- Median hourly wage: $24.66
- Total employment: 370 people (7.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Median annual wage: $51,620
- Median hourly wage: $24.82
- Total employment: 30 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $53,040
- Median hourly wage: $25.50
- Total employment: 60 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $53,240
- Median hourly wage: $25.59
- Total employment: 140 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $54,010
- Median hourly wage: $25.97
- Total employment: 160 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $56,130
- Median hourly wage: $26.99
- Total employment: 140 people (2.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $56,310
- Median hourly wage: $27.07
- Total employment: 240 people (4.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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manine99 // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $57,220
- Median hourly wage: $27.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $57,410
- Median hourly wage: $27.60
- Total employment: 150 people (3.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DuxX // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $57,480
- Median hourly wage: $27.63
- Total employment: 1,010 people (20.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $58,310
- Median hourly wage: $28.03
- Total employment: 60 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $58,720
- Median hourly wage: $28.23
- Total employment: 420 people (8.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $59,270
- Median hourly wage: $28.50
- Total employment: 210 people (4.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $59,690
- Median hourly wage: $28.70
- Total employment: 70 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chok Chokchai // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $61,700
- Median hourly wage: $29.66
- Total employment: 70 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $62,230
- Median hourly wage: $29.92
- Total employment: 50 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $67,140
- Median hourly wage: $32.28
- Total employment: 390 people (7.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $68,830
- Median hourly wage: $33.09
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $69,860
- Median hourly wage: $33.59
- Total employment: 50 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $70,040
- Median hourly wage: $33.67
- Total employment: 190 people (3.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $71,240
- Median hourly wage: $34.25
- Total employment: 480 people (9.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $71,510
- Median hourly wage: $34.38
- Total employment: 200 people (4.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $71,900
- Median hourly wage: $34.57
- Total employment: 40 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $74,290
- Median hourly wage: $35.72
- Total employment: 170 people (3.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $79,470
- Median hourly wage: $38.21
- Total employment: 30 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $81,700
- Median hourly wage: $39.28
- Total employment: 50 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $83,950
- Median hourly wage: $40.36
- Total employment: 40 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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