Yulai Studio // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Surgical assistants
- Median annual wage: $59,850
- Median hourly wage: $28.77
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying jobs in Medford 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 Medford 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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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $60,060
- Median hourly wage: $28.88
- Total employment: 150 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $60,180
- Median hourly wage: $28.93
- Total employment: 230 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Susan Law Cain // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Tree trimmers and pruners
- Median annual wage: $60,200
- Median hourly wage: $28.94
- Total employment: 50 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Median annual wage: $60,440
- Median hourly wage: $29.06
- Total employment: 100 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kot500 // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $60,550
- Median hourly wage: $29.11
- Total employment: 240 people (2.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
muratart // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Pipelayers
- Median annual wage: $60,860
- Median hourly wage: $29.26
- Total employment: 50 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Philip Lange // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $60,920
- Median hourly wage: $29.29
- Total employment: 80 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $60,930
- Median hourly wage: $29.29
- Total employment: 430 people (4.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BearFotos // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $61,020
- Median hourly wage: $29.34
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $61,860
- Median hourly wage: $29.74
- Total employment: 560 people (6.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $61,940
- Median hourly wage: $29.78
- Total employment: 260 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $62,240
- Median hourly wage: $29.92
- Total employment: 220 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
David Spates // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Median annual wage: $62,730
- Median hourly wage: $30.16
- Total employment: 170 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $64,240
- Median hourly wage: $30.89
- Total employment: 90 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Chay_Tee // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Tax preparers
- Median annual wage: $64,790
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 130 people (1.49 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: $65,310
- Median hourly wage: $31.40
- Total employment: 650 people (7.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $65,440
- Median hourly wage: $31.46
- Total employment: 30 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $65,670
- Median hourly wage: $31.57
- Total employment: 50 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 50 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall
- Median annual wage: $65,830
- Median hourly wage: $31.65
- Total employment: 60 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $66,040
- Median hourly wage: $31.75
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $66,060
- Median hourly wage: $31.76
- Total employment: 210 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $66,280
- Median hourly wage: $31.87
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $66,920
- Median hourly wage: $32.17
- Total employment: 210 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $67,390
- Median hourly wage: $32.40
- Total employment: 170 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $68,360
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 150 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $68,780
- Median hourly wage: $33.07
- Total employment: 100 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $69,140
- Median hourly wage: $33.24
- Total employment: 60 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $70,060
- Median hourly wage: $33.68
- Total employment: 130 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $73,380
- Median hourly wage: $35.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $73,680
- Median hourly wage: $35.42
- Total employment: 80 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $74,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.77
- Total employment: 100 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $74,900
- Median hourly wage: $36.01
- Total employment: 240 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $75,170
- Median hourly wage: $36.14
- Total employment: 70 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $76,610
- Median hourly wage: $36.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $77,250
- Median hourly wage: $37.14
- Total employment: 220 people (2.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Public safety telecommunicators
- Median annual wage: $77,990
- Median hourly wage: $37.49
- Total employment: 80 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $80,310
- Median hourly wage: $38.61
- Total employment: 290 people (3.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $80,770
- Median hourly wage: $38.83
- Total employment: 510 people (5.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $82,840
- Median hourly wage: $39.83
- Total employment: Not available
NDAB Creativity // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Massage therapists
- Median annual wage: $83,510
- Median hourly wage: $40.15
- Total employment: 130 people (1.46 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: $84,040
- Median hourly wage: $40.41
- Total employment: 430 people (4.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $85,830
- Median hourly wage: $41.27
- Total employment: 150 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $87,930
- Median hourly wage: $42.27
- Total employment: 280 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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goodluz // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $95,550
- Median hourly wage: $45.94
- Total employment: 130 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $106,870
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $112,510
- Median hourly wage: $54.09
- Total employment: 80 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $114,600
- Median hourly wage: $55.09
- Total employment: 70 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Yulyazolotko // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Fallers
- Median annual wage: $135,600
- Median hourly wage: $65.19
- Total employment: 30 people (0.39 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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