PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $64,710
- Median hourly wage: $31.11
- Total employment: 50 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Kindergarten teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $64,810
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 50#48. Teachers and instructors, all other
- Median annual wage: $64,830
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $65,930
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 490 people (7.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Dietitians and nutritionists
- Median annual wage: $65,960
- Median hourly wage: $31.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Zoologists and wildlife biologists
- Median annual wage: $66,230
- Median hourly wage: $31.84
- Total employment: 40 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Social workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $66,250
- Median hourly wage: $31.85
- Total employment: 170 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 50#43. Technical writers
- Median annual wage: $66,780
- Median hourly wage: $32.11
- Total employment: 40 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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9 / 50#42. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $66,900
- Median hourly wage: $32.16
- Total employment: 1,160 people (18.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Deemerwha studio // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Conservation scientists
- Median annual wage: $67,700
- Median hourly wage: $32.55
- Total employment: 70 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Budget analysts
- Median annual wage: $67,970
- Median hourly wage: $32.68
- Total employment: 60 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $68,600
- Median hourly wage: $32.98
- Total employment: 320 people (5.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 50#38. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $69,950
- Median hourly wage: $33.63
- Total employment: 200 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 50#37. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $70,070
- Median hourly wage: $33.69
- Total employment: 70 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 50#36. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $71,740
- Median hourly wage: $34.49
- Total employment: 200 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $72,550
- Median hourly wage: $34.88
- Total employment: 670 people (10.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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17 / 50#34. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $74,440
- Median hourly wage: $35.79
- Total employment: 140 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $74,940
- Median hourly wage: $36.03
- Total employment: 160 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50#32. Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school
- Median annual wage: $75,650
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Special education teachers, secondary school
- Median annual wage: $75,920
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $77,500
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 340 people (5.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 50#29. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $78,170
- Median hourly wage: $37.58
- Total employment: 120 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $81,350
- Median hourly wage: $39.11
- Total employment: 50 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $84,840
- Median hourly wage: $40.79
- Total employment: 220 people (3.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $84,950
- Median hourly wage: $40.84
- Total employment: 100 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $87,110
- Median hourly wage: $41.88
- Total employment: 190 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $88,820
- Median hourly wage: $42.70
- Total employment: 90 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $88,960
- Median hourly wage: $42.77
- Total employment: 180 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $91,690
- Median hourly wage: $44.08
- Total employment: 40 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $91,750
- Median hourly wage: $44.11
- Total employment: 820 people (13.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $92,370
- Median hourly wage: $44.41
- Total employment: Not available
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $92,850
- Median hourly wage: $44.64
- Total employment: 40 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $94,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.50
- Total employment: 50 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $97,560
- Median hourly wage: $46.91
- Total employment: 190 people (3.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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35 / 50#16. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $97,800
- Median hourly wage: $47.02
- Total employment: 30 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $99,420
- Median hourly wage: $47.80
- Total employment: 230 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $100,530
- Median hourly wage: $48.33
- Total employment: Not available
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38 / 50#13. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,760
- Median hourly wage: $49.89
- Total employment: 50 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $105,440
- Median hourly wage: $50.69
- Total employment: 130 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $105,600
- Median hourly wage: $50.77
- Total employment: 1,710 people (27.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $105,830
- Median hourly wage: $50.88
- Total employment: 260 people (4.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $106,530
- Median hourly wage: $51.21
- Total employment: 80 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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43 / 50#8. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $107,340
- Median hourly wage: $51.61
- Total employment: 250 people (4.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $108,300
- Median hourly wage: $52.07
- Total employment: 60 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $113,570
- Median hourly wage: $54.60
- Total employment: 450 people (7.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $115,880
- Median hourly wage: $55.71
- Total employment: 320 people (5.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $126,930
- Median hourly wage: $61.03
- Total employment: 100 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $138,070
- Median hourly wage: $66.38
- Total employment: 170 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $141,920
- Median hourly wage: $68.23
- Total employment: 40 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $176,930
- Median hourly wage: $85.06
- Total employment: 30 people (0.51 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.
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