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1 / 50#50. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $39,670
- Median hourly wage: $19.07
- Total employment: 40 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Bay City 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 Bay City 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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2 / 50#49. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $39,700
- Median hourly wage: $19.09
- Total employment: 160 people (4.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peter Braakmann // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Agricultural equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $40,730
- Median hourly wage: $19.58
- Total employment: 50 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Fusionstudio // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Median annual wage: $41,030
- Median hourly wage: $19.73
- Total employment: 180 people (5.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of personal service workers
- Median annual wage: $41,540
- Median hourly wage: $19.97
- Total employment: 40 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $41,890
- Median hourly wage: $20.14
- Total employment: 290 people (8.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $42,140
- Median hourly wage: $20.26
- Total employment: 70 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
- Median annual wage: $42,280
- Median hourly wage: $20.33
- Total employment: 340 people (10.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
evgenii mitroshin // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers
- Median annual wage: $42,340
- Median hourly wage: $20.36
- Total employment: 50 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $42,480
- Median hourly wage: $20.42
- Total employment: 60 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $43,020
- Median hourly wage: $20.69
- Total employment: 290 people (8.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $43,060
- Median hourly wage: $20.70
- Total employment: 30 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Median annual wage: $43,140
- Median hourly wage: $20.74
- Total employment: 380 people (11.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Billing and posting clerks
- Median annual wage: $43,550
- Median hourly wage: $20.94
- Total employment: 120 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Glenn Highcove // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Median annual wage: $44,630
- Median hourly wage: $21.46
- Total employment: 160 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Median annual wage: $44,880
- Median hourly wage: $21.58
- Total employment: 30 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Construction laborers
- Median annual wage: $45,050
- Median hourly wage: $21.66
- Total employment: 200 people (5.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $45,610
- Median hourly wage: $21.93
- Total employment: 170 people (5.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50#32. Roofers
- Median annual wage: $46,800
- Median hourly wage: $22.50
- Total employment: 60 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Painters, construction and maintenance
- Median annual wage: $46,880
- Median hourly wage: $22.54
- Total employment: 70 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Median annual wage: $47,220
- Median hourly wage: $22.70
- Total employment: 60 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $47,890
- Median hourly wage: $23.02
- Total employment: 50 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Automotive body and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $48,480
- Median hourly wage: $23.31
- Total employment: 50 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $48,790
- Median hourly wage: $23.46
- Total employment: 90 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $49,100
- Median hourly wage: $23.61
- Total employment: 40 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $51,260
- Median hourly wage: $24.65
- Total employment: 180 people (5.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $52,460
- Median hourly wage: $25.22
- Total employment: 120 people (3.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $53,780
- Median hourly wage: $25.86
- Total employment: 40 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $56,590
- Median hourly wage: $27.21
- Total employment: 90 people (2.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $57,060
- Median hourly wage: $27.43
- Total employment: 310 people (9.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $57,470
- Median hourly wage: $27.63
- Total employment: 60 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $57,530
- Median hourly wage: $27.66
- Total employment: 220 people (6.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $57,570
- Median hourly wage: $27.68
- Total employment: 90 people (2.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $58,070
- Median hourly wage: $27.92
- Total employment: 110 people (3.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $58,590
- Median hourly wage: $28.17
- Total employment: 130 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $59,010
- Median hourly wage: $28.37
- Total employment: 50 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $60,230
- Median hourly wage: $28.96
- Total employment: 50 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bigflick // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $60,640
- Median hourly wage: $29.15
- Total employment: 40 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $61,640
- Median hourly wage: $29.64
- Total employment: 130 people (3.99 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: $62,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.00
- Total employment: 220 people (6.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $62,500
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 130 people (3.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $66,770
- Median hourly wage: $32.10
- Total employment: 220 people (6.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Median annual wage: $67,290
- Median hourly wage: $32.35
- Total employment: 50 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $69,810
- Median hourly wage: $33.56
- Total employment: 190 people (5.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $70,240
- Median hourly wage: $33.77
- Total employment: 190 people (5.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $71,130
- Median hourly wage: $34.20
- Total employment: 120 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $74,250
- Median hourly wage: $35.70
- Total employment: 40 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $74,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.77
- Total employment: 80 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $74,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.83
- Total employment: 130 people (3.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $75,740
- Median hourly wage: $36.41
- Total employment: 40 people (1.23 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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