Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $77,490
- Median hourly wage: $37.26
- Total employment: 50 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Billings 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 Billings, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $77,750
- Median hourly wage: $37.38
- Total employment: 130 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,830
- Median hourly wage: $37.42
- Total employment: 80 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $77,930
- Median hourly wage: $37.46
- Total employment: 40 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $77,940
- Median hourly wage: $37.47
- Total employment: 40 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $78,190
- Median hourly wage: $37.59
- Total employment: 760 people (8.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $78,240
- Median hourly wage: $37.62
- Total employment: 170 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $79,990
- Median hourly wage: $38.46
- Total employment: 240 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $80,500
- Median hourly wage: $38.70
- Total employment: 40 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Freedy // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $82,550
- Median hourly wage: $39.69
- Total employment: 70 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Hydrologists
- Median annual wage: $82,590
- Median hourly wage: $39.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $82,790
- Median hourly wage: $39.81
- Total employment: 120 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $82,880
- Median hourly wage: $39.85
- Total employment: 120 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $85,580
- Median hourly wage: $41.15
- Total employment: 2,520 people (26.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $85,600
- Median hourly wage: $41.15
- Total employment: 110 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $88,610
- Median hourly wage: $42.60
- Total employment: 480 people (5.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $88,890
- Median hourly wage: $42.74
- Total employment: 40 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $89,550
- Median hourly wage: $43.05
- Total employment: 360 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $92,000
- Median hourly wage: $44.23
- Total employment: 1,850 people (19.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $93,290
- Median hourly wage: $44.85
- Total employment: 110 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Financial examiners
- Median annual wage: $93,720
- Median hourly wage: $45.06
- Total employment: 60 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $94,310
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 30 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $95,300
- Median hourly wage: $45.82
- Total employment: 250 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $97,050
- Median hourly wage: $46.66
- Total employment: 240 people (2.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $97,620
- Median hourly wage: $46.93
- Total employment: Not available
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $98,090
- Median hourly wage: $47.16
- Total employment: 70 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,100
- Median hourly wage: $47.65
- Total employment: 190 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Taty77 // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,830
- Median hourly wage: $48.00
- Total employment: 70 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $101,760
- Median hourly wage: $48.92
- Total employment: 80 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,800
- Median hourly wage: $48.94
- Total employment: 90 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $102,440
- Median hourly wage: $49.25
- Total employment: 100 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,070
- Median hourly wage: $49.55
- Total employment: 90 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $105,160
- Median hourly wage: $50.56
- Total employment: 330 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $105,800
- Median hourly wage: $50.86
- Total employment: 200 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $106,140
- Median hourly wage: $51.03
- Total employment: 30 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $106,640
- Median hourly wage: $51.27
- Total employment: 330 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $107,900
- Median hourly wage: $51.87
- Total employment: 90 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $111,110
- Median hourly wage: $53.42
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $112,200
- Median hourly wage: $53.94
- Total employment: 60 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $112,980
- Median hourly wage: $54.32
- Total employment: 90 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $119,260
- Median hourly wage: $57.34
- Total employment: 200 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $121,090
- Median hourly wage: $58.22
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $123,590
- Median hourly wage: $59.42
- Total employment: 60 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $125,750
- Median hourly wage: $60.46
- Total employment: 160 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $127,360
- Median hourly wage: $61.23
- Total employment: 310 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Another77 // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,350
- Median hourly wage: $62.19
- Total employment: 70 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $138,490
- Median hourly wage: $66.58
- Total employment: 220 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $143,140
- Median hourly wage: $68.82
- Total employment: 50 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $150,190
- Median hourly wage: $72.21
- Total employment: 120 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $220,590
- Median hourly wage: $106.05
- Total employment: 110 people (1.18 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.
