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 Goldsboro, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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1 / 43- Median annual wage: $35,600
- Median hourly wage: $17.12
- Total employment: 30 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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2 / 43- Median annual wage: $46,840
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 43- Median annual wage: $47,640
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 600 people (14.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 43- Median annual wage: $48,720
- Median hourly wage: $23.43
- Total employment: 50 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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5 / 43- Median annual wage: $48,880
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 280 people (6.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 43- Median annual wage: $49,580
- Median hourly wage: $23.84
- Total employment: 50 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 43- Median annual wage: $50,240
- Median hourly wage: $24.16
- Total employment: 60 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 43- Median annual wage: $50,970
- Median hourly wage: $24.50
- Total employment: 130 people (3.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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9 / 43- Median annual wage: $51,610
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 390 people (9.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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10 / 43- Median annual wage: $54,050
- Median hourly wage: $25.99
- Total employment: 120 people (2.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 43- Median annual wage: $61,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.73
- Total employment: 150 people (3.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 43- Median annual wage: $63,610
- Median hourly wage: $30.58
- Total employment: 120 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 43- Median annual wage: $64,750
- Median hourly wage: $31.13
- Total employment: 150 people (3.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 43- Median annual wage: $64,860
- Median hourly wage: $31.18
- Total employment: 80 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 43- Median annual wage: $65,900
- Median hourly wage: $31.69
- Total employment: 60 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 43- Median annual wage: $66,170
- Median hourly wage: $31.81
- Total employment: 120 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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17 / 43- Median annual wage: $67,270
- Median hourly wage: $32.34
- Total employment: 80 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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18 / 43- Median annual wage: $67,420
- Median hourly wage: $32.41
- Total employment: 50 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 43- Median annual wage: $69,160
- Median hourly wage: $33.25
- Total employment: 30 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 43- Median annual wage: $69,990
- Median hourly wage: $33.65
- Total employment: 40 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 43- Median annual wage: $72,060
- Median hourly wage: $34.64
- Total employment: 60 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 43- Median annual wage: $72,990
- Median hourly wage: $35.09
- Total employment: 250 people (6.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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23 / 43- Median annual wage: $73,730
- Median hourly wage: $35.45
- Total employment: 260 people (6.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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24 / 43- Median annual wage: $75,430
- Median hourly wage: $36.26
- Total employment: 50 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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25 / 43- Median annual wage: $76,130
- Median hourly wage: $36.60
- Total employment: 70 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 43- Median annual wage: $77,990
- Median hourly wage: $37.50
- Total employment: 60 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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27 / 43- Median annual wage: $78,250
- Median hourly wage: $37.62
- Total employment: 40 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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28 / 43- Median annual wage: $78,950
- Median hourly wage: $37.96
- Total employment: 30 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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29 / 43- Median annual wage: $79,910
- Median hourly wage: $38.42
- Total employment: 1,020 people (24.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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30 / 43- Median annual wage: $80,060
- Median hourly wage: $38.49
- Total employment: 40 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
31 / 43- Median annual wage: $80,840
- Median hourly wage: $38.87
- Total employment: 480 people (11.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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32 / 43- Median annual wage: $89,880
- Median hourly wage: $43.21
- Total employment: 40 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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33 / 43- Median annual wage: $91,960
- Median hourly wage: $44.21
- Total employment: 170 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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34 / 43- Median annual wage: $95,400
- Median hourly wage: $45.86
- Total employment: 100 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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35 / 43- Median annual wage: $97,730
- Median hourly wage: $46.99
- Total employment: 140 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 43- Median annual wage: $97,980
- Median hourly wage: $47.11
- Total employment: 30 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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37 / 43- Median annual wage: $100,040
- Median hourly wage: $48.10
- Total employment: 80 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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38 / 43- Median annual wage: $100,330
- Median hourly wage: $48.23
- Total employment: 40 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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39 / 43- Median annual wage: $106,430
- Median hourly wage: $51.17
- Total employment: 70 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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40 / 43- Median annual wage: $114,400
- Median hourly wage: $55.00
- Total employment: 110 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 43- Median annual wage: $118,680
- Median hourly wage: $57.06
- Total employment: 110 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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42 / 43- Median annual wage: $126,430
- Median hourly wage: $60.78
- Total employment: 60 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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43 / 43- Median annual wage: $135,380
- Median hourly wage: $65.09
- Total employment: 100 people (2.45 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.
