Highest-paying jobs in Burlington, North Carolina 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 Burlington 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.

You may also like: Burlington, North Carolina 7-day weather forecast

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Emergency medical technicians

- Median annual wage: $47,450
- Median hourly wage: $22.81
- Total employment: 170 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alba_alioth // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $48,130
- Median hourly wage: $23.14
- Total employment: 330 people (4.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $48,230
- Median hourly wage: $23.19
- Total employment: 290 people (4.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#46. Eligibility interviewers, government programs (tie)

- Median annual wage: $48,260
- Median hourly wage: $23.20
- Total employment: 100 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lee Charlie // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Court, municipal, and license clerks (tie)

- Median annual wage: $48,260
- Median hourly wage: $23.20
- Total employment: 90 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $48,270
- Median hourly wage: $23.21
- Total employment: 340 people (5.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#43. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (tie)

- Median annual wage: $48,740
- Median hourly wage: $23.43
- Total employment: 240 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Property, real estate, and community association managers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $48,740
- Median hourly wage: $23.43
- Total employment: 80 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. First-line supervisors of entertainment and recreation workers, except gambling services

- Median annual wage: $48,950
- Median hourly wage: $23.53
- Total employment: 80 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rido // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Opticians, dispensing

- Median annual wage: $48,970
- Median hourly wage: $23.54
- Total employment: 30 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $49,000
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 230 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#38. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $49,190
- Median hourly wage: $23.65
- Total employment: 150 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vitpho // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $49,190
- Median hourly wage: $23.65
- Total employment: 840 people (12.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $49,280
- Median hourly wage: $23.69
- Total employment: 180 people (2.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Automotive body and related repairers

- Median annual wage: $50,400
- Median hourly wage: $24.23
- Total employment: 100 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $50,690
- Median hourly wage: $24.37
- Total employment: 50 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dusan Petkovic // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping

- Median annual wage: $50,870
- Median hourly wage: $24.46
- Total employment: 30 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $51,100
- Median hourly wage: $24.57
- Total employment: 310 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $51,190
- Median hourly wage: $24.61
- Total employment: 250 people (3.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $51,410
- Median hourly wage: $24.72
- Total employment: 30 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $52,670
- Median hourly wage: $25.32
- Total employment: 230 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $54,150
- Median hourly wage: $26.03
- Total employment: 170 people (2.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Computer numerically controlled tool operators

- Median annual wage: $54,880
- Median hourly wage: $26.39
- Total employment: 90 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $55,400
- Median hourly wage: $26.64
- Total employment: 310 people (4.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $56,050
- Median hourly wage: $26.95
- Total employment: 40 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $56,330
- Median hourly wage: $27.08
- Total employment: 180 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

27 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $57,490
- Median hourly wage: $27.64
- Total employment: 70 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $57,570
- Median hourly wage: $27.68
- Total employment: 170 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $57,670
- Median hourly wage: $27.73
- Total employment: 50 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $57,740
- Median hourly wage: $27.76
- Total employment: 50 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $58,250
- Median hourly wage: $28.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $58,660
- Median hourly wage: $28.20
- Total employment: 80 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $60,110
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 540 people (7.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $60,140
- Median hourly wage: $28.92
- Total employment: 90 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

35 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.99
- Total employment: 70 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $60,620
- Median hourly wage: $29.14
- Total employment: 400 people (5.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

37 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,800
- Median hourly wage: $29.23
- Total employment: 580 people (8.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kzenon // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Self-enrichment teachers

- Median annual wage: $61,150
- Median hourly wage: $29.40
- Total employment: 100 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

39 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,920
- Median hourly wage: $29.77
- Total employment: 530 people (7.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $63,190
- Median hourly wage: $30.38
- Total employment: 40 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $63,870
- Median hourly wage: $30.71
- Total employment: 40 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $65,440
- Median hourly wage: $31.46
- Total employment: 340 people (5.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

43 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $67,160
- Median hourly wage: $32.29
- Total employment: 340 people (5.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $67,550
- Median hourly wage: $32.48
- Total employment: 350 people (5.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

45 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $69,000
- Median hourly wage: $33.17
- Total employment: 250 people (3.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $74,200
- Median hourly wage: $35.67
- Total employment: 40 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $75,750
- Median hourly wage: $36.42
- Total employment: 60 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

48 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $78,340
- Median hourly wage: $37.66
- Total employment: 90 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $95,000
- Median hourly wage: $45.67
- Total employment: 90 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $98,500
- Median hourly wage: $47.36
- Total employment: 60 people (0.92 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.