Highest-paying jobs in New Orleans 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 New Orleans 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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1 / 50

#50. Media and communication workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $60,420
- Median hourly wage: $29.05
- Total employment: 520 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

- Median annual wage: $60,480
- Median hourly wage: $29.08
- Total employment: 1,460 people (3.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $60,560
- Median hourly wage: $29.11
- Total employment: Not available

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

- Median annual wage: $60,590
- Median hourly wage: $29.13
- Total employment: 1,470 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

socrates471 // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Media and communication equipment workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $60,690
- Median hourly wage: $29.18
- Total employment: 100 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 2,150 people (4.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Advertising sales agents

- Median annual wage: $61,080
- Median hourly wage: $29.37
- Total employment: 280 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $61,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.37
- Total employment: 230 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $61,370
- Median hourly wage: $29.51
- Total employment: 200 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $61,560
- Median hourly wage: $29.60
- Total employment: 670 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $62,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.95
- Total employment: 320 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $63,080
- Median hourly wage: $30.33
- Total employment: 1,160 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $63,130
- Median hourly wage: $30.35
- Total employment: 360 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $63,320
- Median hourly wage: $30.44
- Total employment: 1,900 people (4.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

15 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,230
- Median hourly wage: $30.88
- Total employment: 460 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $64,340
- Median hourly wage: $30.93
- Total employment: 1,530 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

17 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,780
- Median hourly wage: $31.14
- Total employment: 4,400 people (9.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $65,350
- Median hourly wage: $31.42
- Total employment: 460 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $65,570
- Median hourly wage: $31.53
- Total employment: 160 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

20 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $65,900
- Median hourly wage: $31.68
- Total employment: 440 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Josep Suria // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $66,190
- Median hourly wage: $31.82
- Total employment: 1,820 people (4.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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22 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $66,400
- Median hourly wage: $31.92
- Total employment: 60 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $67,740
- Median hourly wage: $32.57
- Total employment: 320 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Surveying and mapping technicians

- Median annual wage: $67,970
- Median hourly wage: $32.68
- Total employment: 150 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $68,180
- Median hourly wage: $32.78
- Total employment: 490 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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26 / 50

#25. Bridge and lock tenders

- Median annual wage: $68,430
- Median hourly wage: $32.90
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jat306 // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $68,970
- Median hourly wage: $33.16
- Total employment: 110 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $69,190
- Median hourly wage: $33.26
- Total employment: 410 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders

- Median annual wage: $71,230
- Median hourly wage: $34.25
- Total employment: 460 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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30 / 50

#21. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $71,770
- Median hourly wage: $34.50
- Total employment: 70 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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31 / 50

#20. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $74,810
- Median hourly wage: $35.97
- Total employment: 940 people (2.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

32 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $75,070
- Median hourly wage: $36.09
- Total employment: 2,430 people (5.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ITisha // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners

- Median annual wage: $75,180
- Median hourly wage: $36.14
- Total employment: 140 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

prochasson frederic // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Boilermakers

- Median annual wage: $75,370
- Median hourly wage: $36.24
- Total employment: 120 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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35 / 50

#16. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $75,620
- Median hourly wage: $36.36
- Total employment: 2,140 people (4.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

36 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,010
- Median hourly wage: $36.54
- Total employment: 1,980 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $76,710
- Median hourly wage: $36.88
- Total employment: 240 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $77,530
- Median hourly wage: $37.27
- Total employment: 100 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Chemical equipment operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $78,930
- Median hourly wage: $37.95
- Total employment: 1,210 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $79,890
- Median hourly wage: $38.41
- Total employment: 70 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $81,110
- Median hourly wage: $39.00
- Total employment: 680 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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42 / 50

#9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $81,650
- Median hourly wage: $39.25
- Total employment: 760 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $96,200
- Median hourly wage: $46.25
- Total employment: 30 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $99,800
- Median hourly wage: $47.98
- Total employment: 180 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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45 / 50

#6. Chemical plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $99,810
- Median hourly wage: $47.99
- Total employment: 770 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $102,630
- Median hourly wage: $49.34
- Total employment: 470 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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47 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $102,770
- Median hourly wage: $49.41
- Total employment: 1,820 people (4.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

curraheeshutter // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Ship engineers

- Median annual wage: $105,420
- Median hourly wage: $50.68
- Total employment: 330 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)