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1 / 41#41. Coaches and scouts
- Median annual wage: $36,860
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 70 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Bay City 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 Bay City, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 41#40. Graphic designers
- Median annual wage: $36,930
- Median hourly wage: $17.75
- Total employment: 40 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 41#39. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $48,600
- Median hourly wage: $23.36
- Total employment: 30 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
4 / 41#38. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $51,070
- Median hourly wage: $24.55
- Total employment: 50 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
5 / 41#37. Child, family, and school social workers
- Median annual wage: $54,330
- Median hourly wage: $26.12
- Total employment: 170 people (5.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 41#36. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $54,670
- Median hourly wage: $26.29
- Total employment: 100 people (3.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
7 / 41#35. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $59,180
- Median hourly wage: $28.45
- Total employment: 40 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 41#34. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $59,370
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 190 people (5.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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9 / 41#33. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $60,430
- Median hourly wage: $29.05
- Total employment: 100 people (3.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
10 / 41#32. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $60,590
- Median hourly wage: $29.13
- Total employment: 140 people (4.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 41#31. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $63,270
- Median hourly wage: $30.42
- Total employment: 40 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 41#30. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $63,930
- Median hourly wage: $30.73
- Total employment: 50 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
13 / 41#29. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $64,080
- Median hourly wage: $30.81
- Total employment: 40 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
14 / 41#28. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $64,840
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 340 people (10.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
15 / 41#27. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $65,100
- Median hourly wage: $31.30
- Total employment: 40 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 41#26. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $68,060
- Median hourly wage: $32.72
- Total employment: 320 people (9.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 41#25. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $73,620
- Median hourly wage: $35.40
- Total employment: 60 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
18 / 41#24. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $75,660
- Median hourly wage: $36.38
- Total employment: 90 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 41#23. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,920
- Median hourly wage: $37.46
- Total employment: 90 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
20 / 41#22. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $78,690
- Median hourly wage: $37.83
- Total employment: 670 people (19.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 41#21. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $79,940
- Median hourly wage: $38.43
- Total employment: 60 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
22 / 41#20. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $81,120
- Median hourly wage: $39.00
- Total employment: 30 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
23 / 41#19. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $81,710
- Median hourly wage: $39.28
- Total employment: 60 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
24 / 41#18. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $87,670
- Median hourly wage: $42.15
- Total employment: 840 people (25.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 41#17. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $89,180
- Median hourly wage: $42.88
- Total employment: Not available
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26 / 41#16. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $90,090
- Median hourly wage: $43.31
- Total employment: 40 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
27 / 41#15. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $91,870
- Median hourly wage: $44.17
- Total employment: 100 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
28 / 41#14. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $93,820
- Median hourly wage: $45.10
- Total employment: 30 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 41#13. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $94,060
- Median hourly wage: $45.22
- Total employment: 40 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 41#12. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,850
- Median hourly wage: $46.56
- Total employment: 130 people (3.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 41#11. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,430
- Median hourly wage: $46.84
- Total employment: 130 people (4.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
32 / 41#10. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $97,960
- Median hourly wage: $47.09
- Total employment: 110 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
33 / 41#9. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $98,830
- Median hourly wage: $47.52
- Total employment: 60 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
34 / 41#8. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,300
- Median hourly wage: $47.74
- Total employment: 70 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
35 / 41#7. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $99,640
- Median hourly wage: $47.90
- Total employment: 40 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
36 / 41#6. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $100,200
- Median hourly wage: $48.17
- Total employment: 30 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
37 / 41#5. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $122,750
- Median hourly wage: $59.01
- Total employment: 40 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 41#4. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,170
- Median hourly wage: $59.70
- Total employment: 80 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
39 / 41#3. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $125,740
- Median hourly wage: $60.45
- Total employment: 90 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
40 / 41#2. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $127,900
- Median hourly wage: $61.49
- Total employment: 110 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 41#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $133,950
- Median hourly wage: $64.40
- Total employment: 30 people (1.05 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.
