Highest-paying jobs in Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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.

SritanaN // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $70,570
- Median hourly wage: $33.93
- Total employment: 1,530 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

2 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $71,360
- Median hourly wage: $34.31
- Total employment: 3,920 people (7.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $72,790
- Median hourly wage: $35.00
- Total employment: 850 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

- Median annual wage: $73,110
- Median hourly wage: $35.15
- Total employment: 140 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $73,350
- Median hourly wage: $35.26
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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6 / 50

#45. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $73,760
- Median hourly wage: $35.46
- Total employment: 1,340 people (2.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $73,880
- Median hourly wage: $35.52
- Total employment: 2,920 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ITisha // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Bailiffs

- Median annual wage: $74,160
- Median hourly wage: $35.65
- Total employment: 170 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vadim Ratnikov // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Earth drillers, except oil and gas

- Median annual wage: $74,290
- Median hourly wage: $35.72
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $74,380
- Median hourly wage: $35.76
- Total employment: 1,340 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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APChanel // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Transportation workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $74,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.77
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

muratart // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Pipelayers

- Median annual wage: $74,500
- Median hourly wage: $35.82
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $74,950
- Median hourly wage: $36.04
- Total employment: 160 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $75,070
- Median hourly wage: $36.09
- Total employment: 600 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $75,330
- Median hourly wage: $36.22
- Total employment: 1,580 people (2.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

16 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,390
- Median hourly wage: $36.72
- Total employment: 2,390 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

17 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $77,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.02
- Total employment: 390 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Insurance appraisers, auto damage

- Median annual wage: $77,370
- Median hourly wage: $37.20
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $77,720
- Median hourly wage: $37.36
- Total employment: 220 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Real estate sales agents

- Median annual wage: $78,430
- Median hourly wage: $37.71
- Total employment: 210 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $78,590
- Median hourly wage: $37.78
- Total employment: 2,260 people (4.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $78,670
- Median hourly wage: $37.82
- Total employment: 110 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

23 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $79,360
- Median hourly wage: $38.15
- Total employment: 1,820 people (3.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $80,060
- Median hourly wage: $38.49
- Total employment: 2,070 people (3.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

funnyangel // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Fire inspectors and investigators

- Median annual wage: $80,240
- Median hourly wage: $38.58
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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sculpies // Shutterstock

26 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $80,780
- Median hourly wage: $38.84
- Total employment: 1,750 people (3.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Onk-Q // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers

- Median annual wage: $81,630
- Median hourly wage: $39.24
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Chemical plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $81,730
- Median hourly wage: $39.30
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

- Median annual wage: $82,820
- Median hourly wage: $39.82
- Total employment: 80 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Sound engineering technicians

- Median annual wage: $83,080
- Median hourly wage: $39.94
- Total employment: 70 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Jat306 // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $83,240
- Median hourly wage: $40.02
- Total employment: 240 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Josep Suria // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $84,070
- Median hourly wage: $40.42
- Total employment: 140 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $84,900
- Median hourly wage: $40.82
- Total employment: 280 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

34 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $90,930
- Median hourly wage: $43.72
- Total employment: 370 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $92,670
- Median hourly wage: $44.55
- Total employment: 180 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Gas plant operators

- Median annual wage: $93,850
- Median hourly wage: $45.12
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $95,870
- Median hourly wage: $46.09
- Total employment: 380 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

38 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $95,950
- Median hourly wage: $46.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $96,040
- Median hourly wage: $46.17
- Total employment: 830 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ITisha // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners

- Median annual wage: $97,470
- Median hourly wage: $46.86
- Total employment: 60 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $98,170
- Median hourly wage: $47.20
- Total employment: 310 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $98,220
- Median hourly wage: $47.22
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

43 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $99,460
- Median hourly wage: $47.82
- Total employment: 810 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $100,810
- Median hourly wage: $48.47
- Total employment: 430 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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45 / 50

#6. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $100,870
- Median hourly wage: $48.50
- Total employment: 490 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

46 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $102,920
- Median hourly wage: $49.48
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman023_photography // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Riggers

- Median annual wage: $103,230
- Median hourly wage: $49.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $117,500
- Median hourly wage: $56.49
- Total employment: 190 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $121,580
- Median hourly wage: $58.45
- Total employment: 120 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Skycolors // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Commercial pilots

- Median annual wage: $155,170
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.1 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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