Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Teachers and instructors, all other
- Median annual wage: $46,810
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Houma 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 Houma, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
PanuShot // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $48,110
- Median hourly wage: $23.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Community and social service specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $48,300
- Median hourly wage: $23.22
- Total employment: 170 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lopolo // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $50,900
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 410 people (4.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
B Brown // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $51,120
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 400 people (4.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $51,600
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 820 people (9.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school
- Median annual wage: $51,710
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 130 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Special education teachers, preschool
- Median annual wage: $52,070
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $52,510
- Median hourly wage: $25.24
- Total employment: 140 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $54,570
- Median hourly wage: $26.24
- Total employment: 150 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $55,970
- Median hourly wage: $26.91
- Total employment: 130 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $56,620
- Median hourly wage: $27.22
- Total employment: 130 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $57,870
- Median hourly wage: $27.82
- Total employment: 100 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $57,970
- Median hourly wage: $27.87
- Total employment: 290 people (3.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Educational instruction and library workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $60,830
- Median hourly wage: $29.24
- Total employment: 60 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GLRL // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 190 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Freedy // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $61,980
- Median hourly wage: $29.80
- Total employment: 90 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
boonchoke // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $62,070
- Median hourly wage: $29.84
- Total employment: 570 people (6.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Property appraisers and assessors
- Median annual wage: $62,710
- Median hourly wage: $30.15
- Total employment: 50 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $66,530
- Median hourly wage: $31.99
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $66,900
- Median hourly wage: $32.16
- Total employment: 450 people (5.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $68,890
- Median hourly wage: $33.12
- Total employment: 80 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $69,680
- Median hourly wage: $33.50
- Total employment: 60 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $69,980
- Median hourly wage: $33.64
- Total employment: 130 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $71,050
- Median hourly wage: $34.16
- Total employment: 190 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $72,640
- Median hourly wage: $34.92
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $72,690
- Median hourly wage: $34.95
- Total employment: 1,380 people (16.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $74,080
- Median hourly wage: $35.62
- Total employment: 50 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $76,060
- Median hourly wage: $36.57
- Total employment: 80 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $80,340
- Median hourly wage: $38.63
- Total employment: 80 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $82,580
- Median hourly wage: $39.70
- Total employment: 120 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $88,610
- Median hourly wage: $42.60
- Total employment: 100 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $91,030
- Median hourly wage: $43.76
- Total employment: 410 people (4.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $92,460
- Median hourly wage: $44.45
- Total employment: 130 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $92,560
- Median hourly wage: $44.50
- Total employment: 330 people (3.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $94,350
- Median hourly wage: $45.36
- Total employment: 300 people (3.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $99,050
- Median hourly wage: $47.62
- Total employment: 220 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $99,960
- Median hourly wage: $48.06
- Total employment: 860 people (10.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $101,100
- Median hourly wage: $48.61
- Total employment: 60 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,510
- Median hourly wage: $48.81
- Total employment: 60 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $103,590
- Median hourly wage: $49.80
- Total employment: 170 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $103,940
- Median hourly wage: $49.97
- Total employment: 60 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,430
- Median hourly wage: $50.21
- Total employment: 140 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $110,560
- Median hourly wage: $53.15
- Total employment: 1,810 people (21.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $110,580
- Median hourly wage: $53.16
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $120,700
- Median hourly wage: $58.03
- Total employment: 250 people (3.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $125,310
- Median hourly wage: $60.24
- Total employment: 70 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $125,940
- Median hourly wage: $60.55
- Total employment: 110 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $126,530
- Median hourly wage: $60.83
- Total employment: 120 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $157,110
- Median hourly wage: $75.53
- Total employment: 40 people (0.49 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.
