Lee Charlie // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Median annual wage: $45,610
- Median hourly wage: $21.93
- Total employment: 70 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Jackson, Michigan 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 Jackson 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. New accounts clerks
- Median annual wage: $45,630
- Median hourly wage: $21.94
- Total employment: 60 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $45,760
- Median hourly wage: $22.00
- Total employment: 430 people (7.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Construction laborers
- Median annual wage: $46,290
- Median hourly wage: $22.25
- Total employment: 400 people (7.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Median annual wage: $46,600
- Median hourly wage: $22.40
- Total employment: 110 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $46,780
- Median hourly wage: $22.49
- Total employment: 80 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
brizmaker // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Roofers
- Median annual wage: $46,820
- Median hourly wage: $22.51
- Total employment: 60 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitreel // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $47,270
- Median hourly wage: $22.73
- Total employment: 160 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Median annual wage: $47,310
- Median hourly wage: $22.75
- Total employment: 500 people (8.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $47,620
- Median hourly wage: $22.90
- Total employment: 110 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $47,870
- Median hourly wage: $23.02
- Total employment: 170 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Automotive body and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $47,890
- Median hourly wage: $23.02
- Total employment: 60 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $48,310
- Median hourly wage: $23.23
- Total employment: 550 people (9.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $48,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.35
- Total employment: 180 people (3.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $48,690
- Median hourly wage: $23.41
- Total employment: 110 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Akimov Igor // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $50,040
- Median hourly wage: $24.06
- Total employment: 90 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vagengeim // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Dental laboratory technicians
- Median annual wage: $50,100
- Median hourly wage: $24.09
- Total employment: 30 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $50,420
- Median hourly wage: $24.24
- Total employment: 40 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Median annual wage: $54,430
- Median hourly wage: $26.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $55,020
- Median hourly wage: $26.45
- Total employment: 180 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $56,160
- Median hourly wage: $27.00
- Total employment: 160 people (2.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $56,850
- Median hourly wage: $27.33
- Total employment: 310 people (5.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $57,250
- Median hourly wage: $27.53
- Total employment: 40 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $57,510
- Median hourly wage: $27.65
- Total employment: 50 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $57,880
- Median hourly wage: $27.83
- Total employment: 120 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Median annual wage: $57,990
- Median hourly wage: $27.88
- Total employment: 70 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $58,310
- Median hourly wage: $28.04
- Total employment: 180 people (3.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vadim Ratnikov // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Earth drillers, except oil and gas
- Median annual wage: $58,760
- Median hourly wage: $28.25
- Total employment: 40 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $59,270
- Median hourly wage: $28.49
- Total employment: 50 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $60,310
- Median hourly wage: $29.00
- Total employment: 130 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $61,000
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Total employment: 90 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $61,230
- Median hourly wage: $29.44
- Total employment: 260 people (4.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $61,580
- Median hourly wage: $29.61
- Total employment: 60 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $62,460
- Median hourly wage: $30.03
- Total employment: 50 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $64,050
- Median hourly wage: $30.79
- Total employment: 140 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SritanaN // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $64,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 390 people (7.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $65,090
- Median hourly wage: $31.29
- Total employment: 40 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $66,080
- Median hourly wage: $31.77
- Total employment: 230 people (4.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $66,670
- Median hourly wage: $32.06
- Total employment: 410 people (7.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Median annual wage: $67,290
- Median hourly wage: $32.35
- Total employment: 50 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $69,220
- Median hourly wage: $33.28
- Total employment: 120 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $71,230
- Median hourly wage: $34.25
- Total employment: 210 people (3.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N_Sakarin // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Structural iron and steel workers
- Median annual wage: $71,550
- Median hourly wage: $34.40
- Total employment: 40 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $72,050
- Median hourly wage: $34.64
- Total employment: 610 people (10.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $72,290
- Median hourly wage: $34.76
- Total employment: 430 people (7.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $78,510
- Median hourly wage: $37.75
- Total employment: 50 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $80,390
- Median hourly wage: $38.65
- Total employment: 220 people (3.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $82,170
- Median hourly wage: $39.50
- Total employment: 250 people (4.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $93,470
- Median hourly wage: $44.94
- Total employment: 100 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $96,300
- Median hourly wage: $46.30
- Total employment: 40 people (0.64 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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