Highest-paying jobs in Reno 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 Reno 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.

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $63,710
- Median hourly wage: $30.63
- Total employment: 1,520 people (5.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Recreational vehicle service technicians

- Median annual wage: $63,930
- Median hourly wage: $30.73
- Total employment: 70 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $64,110
- Median hourly wage: $30.82
- Total employment: 100 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $64,360
- Median hourly wage: $30.94
- Total employment: 400 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Occupational health and safety technicians

- Median annual wage: $65,120
- Median hourly wage: $31.31
- Total employment: 110 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $65,310
- Median hourly wage: $31.40
- Total employment: 410 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Virrage Images // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Refuse and recyclable material collectors

- Median annual wage: $65,440
- Median hourly wage: $31.46
- Total employment: 190 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $67,370
- Median hourly wage: $32.39
- Total employment: 670 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

- Median annual wage: $68,220
- Median hourly wage: $32.80
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rezoff // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Plant and system operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $69,280
- Median hourly wage: $33.31
- Total employment: 60 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $69,480
- Median hourly wage: $33.41
- Total employment: 160 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $70,370
- Median hourly wage: $33.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman023_photography // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Riggers

- Median annual wage: $70,790
- Median hourly wage: $34.04
- Total employment: 50 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $71,530
- Median hourly wage: $34.39
- Total employment: 220 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $72,530
- Median hourly wage: $34.87
- Total employment: 540 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

HannaTor // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Gambling managers

- Median annual wage: $72,570
- Median hourly wage: $34.89
- Total employment: 110 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $74,140
- Median hourly wage: $35.65
- Total employment: 60 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ITisha // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Bailiffs

- Median annual wage: $74,440
- Median hourly wage: $35.79
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $75,710
- Median hourly wage: $36.40
- Total employment: 550 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $75,750
- Median hourly wage: $36.42
- Total employment: 540 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $75,930
- Median hourly wage: $36.50
- Total employment: 1,110 people (4.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $76,010
- Median hourly wage: $36.54
- Total employment: 150 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

anatoliy_gleb // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Solar photovoltaic installers

- Median annual wage: $76,530
- Median hourly wage: $36.80
- Total employment: 50 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $76,630
- Median hourly wage: $36.84
- Total employment: 50 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

25 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,910
- Median hourly wage: $36.98
- Total employment: 1,290 people (4.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $77,350
- Median hourly wage: $37.19
- Total employment: 180 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Meter readers, utilities

- Median annual wage: $77,780
- Median hourly wage: $37.40
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $78,480
- Median hourly wage: $37.73
- Total employment: 1,270 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

29 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $78,900
- Median hourly wage: $37.93
- Total employment: 1,080 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $79,550
- Median hourly wage: $38.25
- Total employment: 140 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $79,800
- Median hourly wage: $38.36
- Total employment: 50 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $80,060
- Median hourly wage: $38.49
- Total employment: 900 people (3.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $81,170
- Median hourly wage: $39.03
- Total employment: 250 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Surveying and mapping technicians

- Median annual wage: $81,300
- Median hourly wage: $39.09
- Total employment: Not available

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Carpet installers

- Median annual wage: $81,620
- Median hourly wage: $39.24
- Total employment: 170 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Washburn HM // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Transportation inspectors

- Median annual wage: $81,730
- Median hourly wage: $39.29
- Total employment: 40 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

37 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $81,980
- Median hourly wage: $39.41
- Total employment: 1,830 people (6.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $85,570
- Median hourly wage: $41.14
- Total employment: 240 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nagy-Bagoly Arpad // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Insulation workers, mechanical

- Median annual wage: $87,230
- Median hourly wage: $41.94
- Total employment: 50 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $87,360
- Median hourly wage: $42.00
- Total employment: Not available

goodluz // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $92,520
- Median hourly wage: $44.48
- Total employment: 810 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

- Median annual wage: $94,430
- Median hourly wage: $45.40
- Total employment: 320 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

funnyangel // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Fire inspectors and investigators

- Median annual wage: $97,740
- Median hourly wage: $46.99
- Total employment: 40 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $98,890
- Median hourly wage: $47.54
- Total employment: 60 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $105,220
- Median hourly wage: $50.59
- Total employment: 120 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Skycolors // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Commercial pilots

- Median annual wage: $105,400
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $105,820
- Median hourly wage: $50.87
- Total employment: 100 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

- Median annual wage: $109,920
- Median hourly wage: $52.85
- Total employment: 40 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $123,680
- Median hourly wage: $59.46
- Total employment: 100 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $135,350
- Median hourly wage: $65.07
- Total employment: 260 people (0.97 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.