comzeal images // Shutterstock
1 / 37#37. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $46,860
- Median hourly wage: $22.53
- Total employment: 100 people (2.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Hammond 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 Hammond, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 37#36. Educational instruction and library workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $47,190
- Median hourly wage: $22.69
- Total employment: 60 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lopolo // Shutterstock
3 / 37#35. Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $49,000
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 220 people (4.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 37#34. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $49,670
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 660 people (14.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
5 / 37#33. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $49,800
- Median hourly wage: $23.94
- Total employment: 110 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DGLimages // Shutterstock
6 / 37#32. Community and social service specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $50,890
- Median hourly wage: $24.47
- Total employment: 290 people (6.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
7 / 37#31. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $54,240
- Median hourly wage: $26.08
- Total employment: 140 people (3.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
8 / 37#30. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $55,000
- Median hourly wage: $26.44
- Total employment: 70 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
9 / 37#29. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $56,500
- Median hourly wage: $27.16
- Total employment: 100 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
10 / 37#28. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $57,100
- Median hourly wage: $27.45
- Total employment: 60 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock
11 / 37#27. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $57,120
- Median hourly wage: $27.46
- Total employment: 50 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
boonchoke // Shutterstock
12 / 37#26. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $57,140
- Median hourly wage: $27.47
- Total employment: 350 people (7.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
B Brown // Shutterstock
13 / 37#25. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $57,470
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 400 people (8.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GLRL // Shutterstock
14 / 37#24. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $57,550
- Median hourly wage: $27.67
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
15 / 37#23. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $61,180
- Median hourly wage: $29.41
- Total employment: 30 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 37#22. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $63,960
- Median hourly wage: $30.75
- Total employment: 90 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
17 / 37#21. Dietitians and nutritionists
- Median annual wage: $64,160
- Median hourly wage: $30.85
- Total employment: 30 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
18 / 37#20. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $65,700
- Median hourly wage: $31.59
- Total employment: 130 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
19 / 37#19. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $66,660
- Median hourly wage: $32.05
- Total employment: 260 people (5.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
20 / 37#18. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $74,570
- Median hourly wage: $35.85
- Total employment: 100 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
21 / 37#17. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $75,210
- Median hourly wage: $36.16
- Total employment: 1,270 people (26.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
22 / 37#16. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $81,650
- Median hourly wage: $39.26
- Total employment: 100 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
23 / 37#15. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $82,190
- Median hourly wage: $39.52
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 37#14. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $83,160
- Median hourly wage: $39.98
- Total employment: 30 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
25 / 37#13. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $85,870
- Median hourly wage: $41.29
- Total employment: 940 people (19.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 37#12. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $89,360
- Median hourly wage: $42.96
- Total employment: 60 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
27 / 37#11. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $94,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.50
- Total employment: 50 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
28 / 37#10. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $94,850
- Median hourly wage: $45.60
- Total employment: 50 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
29 / 37#9. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $96,360
- Median hourly wage: $46.33
- Total employment: 220 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 37#8. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,720
- Median hourly wage: $46.50
- Total employment: 230 people (4.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
31 / 37#7. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $96,760
- Median hourly wage: $46.52
- Total employment: 40 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
32 / 37#6. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $97,900
- Median hourly wage: $47.07
- Total employment: 30 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
33 / 37#5. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $101,520
- Median hourly wage: $48.81
- Total employment: 70 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
34 / 37#4. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,910
- Median hourly wage: $48.99
- Total employment: 30 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
35 / 37#3. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $102,700
- Median hourly wage: $49.38
- Total employment: 30 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
36 / 37#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $120,000
- Median hourly wage: $57.69
- Total employment: 40 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
37 / 37#1. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $121,040
- Median hourly wage: $58.19
- Total employment: 110 people (2.42 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.
