Gorgev // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $52,350
- Median hourly wage: $25.17
- Total employment: 100 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem 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.
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Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Community health workers
- Median annual wage: $52,710
- Median hourly wage: $25.34
- Total employment: 110 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Umomos // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $53,580
- Median hourly wage: $25.76
- Total employment: 80 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $53,930
- Median hourly wage: $25.93
- Total employment: 820 people (3.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $54,110
- Median hourly wage: $26.02
- Total employment: 300 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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XiXinXing // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Medical records specialists
- Median annual wage: $54,500
- Median hourly wage: $26.20
- Total employment: 530 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Brokerage clerks
- Median annual wage: $54,660
- Median hourly wage: $26.28
- Total employment: 70 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pixel B // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Tool and die makers
- Median annual wage: $55,380
- Median hourly wage: $26.63
- Total employment: 150 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $55,840
- Median hourly wage: $26.85
- Total employment: 1,290 people (4.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $56,450
- Median hourly wage: $27.14
- Total employment: 740 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $57,150
- Median hourly wage: $27.48
- Total employment: 1,580 people (5.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Median annual wage: $57,310
- Median hourly wage: $27.55
- Total employment: 320 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $57,530
- Median hourly wage: $27.66
- Total employment: 690 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $57,880
- Median hourly wage: $27.83
- Total employment: 140 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $58,540
- Median hourly wage: $28.15
- Total employment: 160 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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manine99 // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $58,920
- Median hourly wage: $28.33
- Total employment: 210 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $59,600
- Median hourly wage: $28.66
- Total employment: 750 people (2.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $59,910
- Median hourly wage: $28.80
- Total employment: 940 people (3.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $59,920
- Median hourly wage: $28.81
- Total employment: 360 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $60,090
- Median hourly wage: $28.89
- Total employment: 1,180 people (4.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Fire inspectors and investigators
- Median annual wage: $60,310
- Median hourly wage: $28.99
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $60,410
- Median hourly wage: $29.04
- Total employment: 80 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $60,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.15
- Total employment: 260 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $61,000
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Total employment: 2,140 people (7.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $61,120
- Median hourly wage: $29.38
- Total employment: 150 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $61,520
- Median hourly wage: $29.58
- Total employment: 1,350 people (4.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $62,040
- Median hourly wage: $29.83
- Total employment: 2,400 people (8.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $62,800
- Median hourly wage: $30.19
- Total employment: 120 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $63,370
- Median hourly wage: $30.47
- Total employment: 390 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $63,500
- Median hourly wage: $30.53
- Total employment: 200 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vladeep // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $64,100
- Median hourly wage: $30.82
- Total employment: 90 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jat306 // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $65,150
- Median hourly wage: $31.32
- Total employment: 60 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Median annual wage: $65,440
- Median hourly wage: $31.46
- Total employment: 110 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 120 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $66,640
- Median hourly wage: $32.04
- Total employment: 1,690 people (6.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $67,160
- Median hourly wage: $32.29
- Total employment: 1,600 people (5.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $67,970
- Median hourly wage: $32.68
- Total employment: 520 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $67,990
- Median hourly wage: $32.69
- Total employment: 1,120 people (4.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
NDAB Creativity // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Massage therapists
- Median annual wage: $68,130
- Median hourly wage: $32.76
- Total employment: 90 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Josep Suria // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $68,710
- Median hourly wage: $33.04
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DGLimages // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Healthcare support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $69,870
- Median hourly wage: $33.59
- Total employment: 380 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $70,520
- Median hourly wage: $33.90
- Total employment: 1,240 people (4.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $72,370
- Median hourly wage: $34.79
- Total employment: 40 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $76,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.55
- Total employment: 70 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $76,050
- Median hourly wage: $36.56
- Total employment: 490 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Washburn HM // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $76,400
- Median hourly wage: $36.73
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $80,610
- Median hourly wage: $38.76
- Total employment: 260 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $83,630
- Median hourly wage: $40.21
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $83,650
- Median hourly wage: $40.22
- Total employment: 90 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,440
- Median hourly wage: $48.77
- Total employment: 320 people (1.17 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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