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1 / 38#38. Directors, religious activities and education
- Median annual wage: $33,730
- Median hourly wage: $16.22
- Total employment: 60 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Grants Pass 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 Grants Pass, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 38#37. Community and social service specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $45,520
- Median hourly wage: $21.89
- Total employment: 40 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
3 / 38#36. Graphic designers
- Median annual wage: $46,430
- Median hourly wage: $22.32
- Total employment: 40 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
4 / 38#35. Educational instruction and library workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $48,120
- Median hourly wage: $23.14
- Total employment: 30 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
5 / 38#34. Clergy
- Median annual wage: $57,820
- Median hourly wage: $27.80
- Total employment: 70 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 38#33. Public relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $58,620
- Median hourly wage: $28.18
- Total employment: 30 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Iam_Anupong // Shutterstock
7 / 38#32. Kindergarten teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $60,120
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
8 / 38#31. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $60,210
- Median hourly wage: $28.95
- Total employment: 60 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GLRL // Shutterstock
9 / 38#30. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $60,970
- Median hourly wage: $29.31
- Total employment: 70 people (2.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
10 / 38#29. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $64,850
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 320 people (10.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 38#28. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $65,270
- Median hourly wage: $31.38
- Total employment: 90 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
12 / 38#27. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $65,750
- Median hourly wage: $31.61
- Total employment: 140 people (4.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
boonchoke // Shutterstock
13 / 38#26. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $66,410
- Median hourly wage: $31.93
- Total employment: 180 people (5.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
14 / 38#24. Child, family, and school social workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $67,170
- Median hourly wage: $32.29
- Total employment: 130 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
15 / 38#24. Social workers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $67,170
- Median hourly wage: $32.29
- Total employment: 80 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
16 / 38#23. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $69,870
- Median hourly wage: $33.59
- Total employment: 70 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
17 / 38#22. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $74,160
- Median hourly wage: $35.65
- Total employment: 70 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
18 / 38#21. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $74,520
- Median hourly wage: $35.83
- Total employment: 40 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
19 / 38#20. Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school
- Median annual wage: $76,940
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
20 / 38#19. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $77,090
- Median hourly wage: $37.06
- Total employment: 120 people (4.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 38#18. Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $78,040
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 180 people (5.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
22 / 38#17. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $80,010
- Median hourly wage: $38.47
- Total employment: 580 people (18.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
23 / 38#16. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $81,540
- Median hourly wage: $39.20
- Total employment: 120 people (3.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 38#15. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $81,610
- Median hourly wage: $39.24
- Total employment: 40 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
25 / 38#14. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $86,100
- Median hourly wage: $41.39
- Total employment: 30 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 38#13. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $91,000
- Median hourly wage: $43.75
- Total employment: 30 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
27 / 38#12. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $91,840
- Median hourly wage: $44.15
- Total employment: 50 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
28 / 38#11. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $103,180
- Median hourly wage: $49.61
- Total employment: 530 people (17.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
29 / 38#10. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $104,160
- Median hourly wage: $50.08
- Total employment: 60 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
30 / 38#9. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $104,570
- Median hourly wage: $50.27
- Total employment: 50 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 38#8. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $109,500
- Median hourly wage: $52.64
- Total employment: 60 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
32 / 38#7. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $112,510
- Median hourly wage: $54.09
- Total employment: 60 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
33 / 38#6. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $113,820
- Median hourly wage: $54.72
- Total employment: 60 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
34 / 38#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $122,730
- Median hourly wage: $59.00
- Total employment: 80 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
35 / 38#4. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $124,000
- Median hourly wage: $59.61
- Total employment: 90 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
36 / 38#3. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $128,440
- Median hourly wage: $61.75
- Total employment: 60 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 38#2. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $140,030
- Median hourly wage: $67.32
- Total employment: 40 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
38 / 38#1. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $160,560
- Median hourly wage: $77.19
- Total employment: 40 people (1.37 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.
