Highest-paying jobs in Carson City 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 Carson City 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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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $47,540
- Median hourly wage: $22.85
- Total employment: 170 people (5.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $47,630
- Median hourly wage: $22.90
- Total employment: 40 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LuckView // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $47,680
- Median hourly wage: $22.92
- Total employment: 30 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Pharmacy technicians

- Median annual wage: $47,840
- Median hourly wage: $23.00
- Total employment: 70 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $47,900
- Median hourly wage: $23.03
- Total employment: 210 people (6.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Syda Productions // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Dental assistants

- Median annual wage: $48,270
- Median hourly wage: $23.21
- Total employment: 90 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $48,360
- Median hourly wage: $23.25
- Total employment: 60 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $48,400
- Median hourly wage: $23.27
- Total employment: 60 people (1.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Maintenance and repair workers, general

- Median annual wage: $48,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.35
- Total employment: 280 people (8.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $48,820
- Median hourly wage: $23.47
- Total employment: 180 people (5.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Rido // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Opticians, dispensing

- Median annual wage: $49,040
- Median hourly wage: $23.58
- Total employment: 30 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Financial clerks, all other

- Median annual wage: $49,500
- Median hourly wage: $23.80
- Total employment: 70 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lucky Business // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

- Median annual wage: $49,760
- Median hourly wage: $23.92
- Total employment: 30 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DC Studio // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance

- Median annual wage: $50,800
- Median hourly wage: $24.42
- Total employment: 50 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

15 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $51,180
- Median hourly wage: $24.60
- Total employment: 170 people (5.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

XiXinXing // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Medical records specialists

- Median annual wage: $53,730
- Median hourly wage: $25.83
- Total employment: 100 people (3.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $55,390
- Median hourly wage: $26.63
- Total employment: 70 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

18 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $55,690
- Median hourly wage: $26.78
- Total employment: 80 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

mahc // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Tile and stone setters

- Median annual wage: $55,780
- Median hourly wage: $26.82
- Total employment: 30 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $56,350
- Median hourly wage: $27.09
- Total employment: 40 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Automotive service technicians and mechanics

- Median annual wage: $56,790
- Median hourly wage: $27.30
- Total employment: 250 people (8.18 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: $57,940
- Median hourly wage: $27.85
- Total employment: 90 people (2.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $58,060
- Median hourly wage: $27.91
- Total employment: 140 people (4.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $58,200
- Median hourly wage: $27.98
- Total employment: 30 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

- Median annual wage: $59,070
- Median hourly wage: $28.40
- Total employment: 80 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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David Spates // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $59,410
- Median hourly wage: $28.56
- Total employment: 90 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $60,750
- Median hourly wage: $29.21
- Total employment: 30 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

28 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,830
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 170 people (5.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vitpho // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 150 people (4.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Painters, construction and maintenance

- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 50 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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31 / 50

#20. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $62,280
- Median hourly wage: $29.94
- Total employment: 40 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $62,380
- Median hourly wage: $29.99
- Total employment: 40 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $62,490
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 70 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Real estate sales agents

- Median annual wage: $62,590
- Median hourly wage: $30.09
- Total employment: 60 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $62,890
- Median hourly wage: $30.24
- Total employment: 130 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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36 / 50

#15. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $63,860
- Median hourly wage: $30.70
- Total employment: 90 people (3.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $65,310
- Median hourly wage: $31.40
- Total employment: 280 people (9.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $67,840
- Median hourly wage: $32.61
- Total employment: 30 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $71,360
- Median hourly wage: $34.31
- Total employment: 90 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $71,510
- Median hourly wage: $34.38
- Total employment: 310 people (10.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $73,560
- Median hourly wage: $35.37
- Total employment: 130 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Community health workers

- Median annual wage: $75,090
- Median hourly wage: $36.10
- Total employment: 130 people (4.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

43 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,360
- Median hourly wage: $36.71
- Total employment: 110 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $76,390
- Median hourly wage: $36.73
- Total employment: 100 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $76,950
- Median hourly wage: $37.00
- Total employment: 300 people (9.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

46 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $77,040
- Median hourly wage: $37.04
- Total employment: 110 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $80,110
- Median hourly wage: $38.51
- Total employment: 70 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $84,280
- Median hourly wage: $40.52
- Total employment: 510 people (16.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)