Highest-paying jobs in Youngstown 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 Youngstown 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.

Fusionstudio // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles

- Median annual wage: $52,360
- Median hourly wage: $25.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorgev // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. First-line supervisors of security workers

- Median annual wage: $52,640
- Median hourly wage: $25.31
- Total employment: 60 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $52,840
- Median hourly wage: $25.40
- Total employment: 90 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $53,050
- Median hourly wage: $25.51
- Total employment: 170 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $53,680
- Median hourly wage: $25.81
- Total employment: 320 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Lowest-paying jobs in Youngstown

SatawatK // Shutterstock

6 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $53,780
- Median hourly wage: $25.86
- Total employment: 110 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

7 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $54,000
- Median hourly wage: $25.96
- Total employment: 740 people (4.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jat306 // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $54,040
- Median hourly wage: $25.98
- Total employment: 50 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $54,060
- Median hourly wage: $25.99
- Total employment: 180 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $54,690
- Median hourly wage: $26.29
- Total employment: 440 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

manine99 // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Maintenance workers, machinery

- Median annual wage: $55,860
- Median hourly wage: $26.86
- Total employment: 30 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

12 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $55,990
- Median hourly wage: $26.92
- Total employment: 190 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Indypendenz // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

- Median annual wage: $56,530
- Median hourly wage: $27.18
- Total employment: 90 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $57,420
- Median hourly wage: $27.60
- Total employment: 450 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Painters, construction and maintenance

- Median annual wage: $57,490
- Median hourly wage: $27.64
- Total employment: 370 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $57,530
- Median hourly wage: $27.66
- Total employment: 920 people (5.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

17 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $57,960
- Median hourly wage: $27.87
- Total employment: 1,120 people (6.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

18 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $57,990
- Median hourly wage: $27.88
- Total employment: 700 people (4.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ArtSvetlana // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $58,100
- Median hourly wage: $27.94
- Total employment: 80 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $58,130
- Median hourly wage: $27.95
- Total employment: 1,330 people (8.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $58,390
- Median hourly wage: $28.07
- Total employment: 560 people (3.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $58,570
- Median hourly wage: $28.16
- Total employment: 110 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

23 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $58,700
- Median hourly wage: $28.22
- Total employment: 370 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $58,850
- Median hourly wage: $28.29
- Total employment: 910 people (5.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $59,060
- Median hourly wage: $28.39
- Total employment: 30 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $59,160
- Median hourly wage: $28.44
- Total employment: 140 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

27 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $59,170
- Median hourly wage: $28.45
- Total employment: 990 people (6.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $59,610
- Median hourly wage: $28.66
- Total employment: 520 people (3.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $59,770
- Median hourly wage: $28.74
- Total employment: 350 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $60,130
- Median hourly wage: $28.91
- Total employment: 220 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $60,150
- Median hourly wage: $28.92
- Total employment: 150 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

brizmaker // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Roofers

- Median annual wage: $60,450
- Median hourly wage: $29.06
- Total employment: 330 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

- Median annual wage: $60,580
- Median hourly wage: $29.13
- Total employment: 70 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dagmara_K // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Drywall and ceiling tile installers

- Median annual wage: $60,850
- Median hourly wage: $29.26
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $61,170
- Median hourly wage: $29.41
- Total employment: 490 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Best places to live in the Youngstown metro area

Yuriy Golub // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Glaziers

- Median annual wage: $61,580
- Median hourly wage: $29.61
- Total employment: 50 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $62,630
- Median hourly wage: $30.11
- Total employment: 140 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $62,720
- Median hourly wage: $30.16
- Total employment: 180 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $64,290
- Median hourly wage: $30.91
- Total employment: 80 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $64,730
- Median hourly wage: $31.12
- Total employment: 90 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Car insurance rates in Youngstown October 2025

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,990
- Median hourly wage: $31.25
- Total employment: 1,540 people (9.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $65,660
- Median hourly wage: $31.57
- Total employment: 70 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

43 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $70,290
- Median hourly wage: $33.79
- Total employment: 100 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

- Median annual wage: $70,680
- Median hourly wage: $33.98
- Total employment: 40 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

45 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $71,080
- Median hourly wage: $34.17
- Total employment: 670 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Highest-rated ice cream shops in Youngstown by diners

4 PM production // Shutterstock

46 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $72,150
- Median hourly wage: $34.69
- Total employment: 630 people (3.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $76,400
- Median hourly wage: $36.73
- Total employment: 230 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $79,280
- Median hourly wage: $38.12
- Total employment: 220 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $80,120
- Median hourly wage: $38.52
- Total employment: 60 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $95,440
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 100 people (0.65 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.