Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Special education teachers, secondary school
- Median annual wage: $70,660
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Ithaca 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 Ithaca, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Budget analysts
- Median annual wage: $73,430
- Median hourly wage: $35.30
- Total employment: 30 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 50#48. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $73,540
- Median hourly wage: $35.36
- Total employment: 230 people (4.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $74,210
- Median hourly wage: $35.68
- Total employment: 200 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $74,630
- Median hourly wage: $35.88
- Total employment: 50 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $74,980
- Median hourly wage: $36.05
- Total employment: 150 people (3.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $75,830
- Median hourly wage: $36.46
- Total employment: 120 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Community and social service specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $76,010
- Median hourly wage: $36.54
- Total employment: 140 people (2.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $76,160
- Median hourly wage: $36.61
- Total employment: 110 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Career/technical education teachers, secondary school
- Median annual wage: $76,290
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.02
- Total employment: 50 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Fundraisers
- Median annual wage: $77,900
- Median hourly wage: $37.45
- Total employment: 150 people (3.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $78,220
- Median hourly wage: $37.61
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Social workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $78,880
- Median hourly wage: $37.92
- Total employment: 60 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $79,060
- Median hourly wage: $38.01
- Total employment: 410 people (8.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $79,270
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 350 people (7.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
- Median annual wage: $79,500
- Median hourly wage: $38.22
- Total employment: 50 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $79,720
- Median hourly wage: $38.33
- Total employment: 130 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50#32. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $80,070
- Median hourly wage: $38.50
- Total employment: 100 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $81,100
- Median hourly wage: $38.99
- Total employment: 170 people (3.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $81,740
- Median hourly wage: $39.30
- Total employment: 130 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $82,300
- Median hourly wage: $39.57
- Total employment: 90 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $83,680
- Median hourly wage: $40.23
- Total employment: 40 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $92,810
- Median hourly wage: $44.62
- Total employment: 220 people (4.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $95,460
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 90 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $96,490
- Median hourly wage: $46.39
- Total employment: 50 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $98,130
- Median hourly wage: $47.18
- Total employment: 40 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $98,510
- Median hourly wage: $47.36
- Total employment: 810 people (16.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $99,250
- Median hourly wage: $47.71
- Total employment: 110 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,140
- Median hourly wage: $49.59
- Total employment: 30 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $103,290
- Median hourly wage: $49.66
- Total employment: 870 people (18.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $105,000
- Median hourly wage: $50.48
- Total employment: 370 people (7.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $105,410
- Median hourly wage: $50.68
- Total employment: 60 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $107,580
- Median hourly wage: $51.72
- Total employment: 50 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $108,410
- Median hourly wage: $52.12
- Total employment: 90 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $110,810
- Median hourly wage: $53.27
- Total employment: 60 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $110,940
- Median hourly wage: $53.34
- Total employment: 60 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $111,830
- Median hourly wage: $53.77
- Total employment: 80 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $114,090
- Median hourly wage: $54.85
- Total employment: 60 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $115,160
- Median hourly wage: $55.36
- Total employment: Not available
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41 / 50#10. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $120,700
- Median hourly wage: $58.03
- Total employment: 40 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $121,480
- Median hourly wage: $58.40
- Total employment: 30 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $134,910
- Median hourly wage: $64.86
- Total employment: 70 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $136,920
- Median hourly wage: $65.83
- Total employment: 50 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $143,290
- Median hourly wage: $68.89
- Total employment: 190 people (4.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $150,390
- Median hourly wage: $72.30
- Total employment: 70 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $150,940
- Median hourly wage: $72.57
- Total employment: 70 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $154,310
- Median hourly wage: $74.19
- Total employment: 30 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $160,100
- Median hourly wage: $76.97
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $168,690
- Median hourly wage: $81.10
- Total employment: 170 people (3.5 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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