Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $97,110
- Median hourly wage: $46.69
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Buffalo 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 Buffalo, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $97,150
- Median hourly wage: $46.71
- Total employment: 630 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $97,690
- Median hourly wage: $46.97
- Total employment: 380 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,780
- Median hourly wage: $47.01
- Total employment: 150 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Financial examiners
- Median annual wage: $98,440
- Median hourly wage: $47.33
- Total employment: 440 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents
- Median annual wage: $98,490
- Median hourly wage: $47.35
- Total employment: 100 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $99,150
- Median hourly wage: $47.67
- Total employment: 490 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $99,290
- Median hourly wage: $47.74
- Total employment: 12,210 people (22.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
THICHA SATAPITANON // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Financial risk specialists
- Median annual wage: $99,600
- Median hourly wage: $47.88
- Total employment: 480 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,310
- Median hourly wage: $48.23
- Total employment: 1,070 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Credit analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,420
- Median hourly wage: $48.28
- Total employment: 410 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $100,550
- Median hourly wage: $48.34
- Total employment: 2,920 people (5.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $101,440
- Median hourly wage: $48.77
- Total employment: 150 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,540
- Median hourly wage: $48.82
- Total employment: 660 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,620
- Median hourly wage: $48.86
- Total employment: 1,770 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,760
- Median hourly wage: $48.92
- Total employment: 540 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $102,110
- Median hourly wage: $49.09
- Total employment: 100 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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18 / 50#33. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,060
- Median hourly wage: $49.55
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50#32. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,470
- Median hourly wage: $49.75
- Total employment: 90 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 50#31. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,600
- Median hourly wage: $49.81
- Total employment: 110 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $105,450
- Median hourly wage: $50.70
- Total employment: 400 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $105,500
- Median hourly wage: $50.72
- Total employment: 450 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $106,800
- Median hourly wage: $51.35
- Total employment: 170 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $107,710
- Median hourly wage: $51.79
- Total employment: 580 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $107,960
- Median hourly wage: $51.90
- Total employment: 110 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $109,740
- Median hourly wage: $52.76
- Total employment: 70 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $112,120
- Median hourly wage: $53.90
- Total employment: 690 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $115,120
- Median hourly wage: $55.35
- Total employment: 350 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $116,120
- Median hourly wage: $55.83
- Total employment: 80 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $117,870
- Median hourly wage: $56.67
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $121,990
- Median hourly wage: $58.65
- Total employment: 110 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $124,110
- Median hourly wage: $59.67
- Total employment: 790 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $125,280
- Median hourly wage: $60.23
- Total employment: 250 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $127,780
- Median hourly wage: $61.43
- Total employment: 120 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $128,280
- Median hourly wage: $61.68
- Total employment: 140 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $128,330
- Median hourly wage: $61.70
- Total employment: 1,400 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $128,780
- Median hourly wage: $61.91
- Total employment: 3,720 people (6.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $129,390
- Median hourly wage: $62.21
- Total employment: 480 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $132,330
- Median hourly wage: $63.62
- Total employment: 180 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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40 / 50#11. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $133,180
- Median hourly wage: $64.03
- Total employment: 860 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $134,620
- Median hourly wage: $64.72
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $137,980
- Median hourly wage: $66.34
- Total employment: 280 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $138,230
- Median hourly wage: $66.46
- Total employment: 90 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $138,470
- Median hourly wage: $66.57
- Total employment: 1,230 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $139,400
- Median hourly wage: $67.02
- Total employment: 600 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $159,870
- Median hourly wage: $76.86
- Total employment: 1,280 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $162,660
- Median hourly wage: $78.20
- Total employment: 2,530 people (4.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $163,140
- Median hourly wage: $78.44
- Total employment: 610 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $166,900
- Median hourly wage: $80.24
- Total employment: 1,500 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $204,360
- Median hourly wage: $98.25
- Total employment: 360 people (0.67 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.
