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1 / 50#50. Dietitians and nutritionists
- Median annual wage: $93,620
- Median hourly wage: $45.01
- Total employment: 80 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Salem 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 Salem, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $93,850
- Median hourly wage: $45.12
- Total employment: 90 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $95,260
- Median hourly wage: $45.80
- Total employment: 130 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $96,240
- Median hourly wage: $46.27
- Total employment: 100 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $97,330
- Median hourly wage: $46.80
- Total employment: 1,370 people (7.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $97,860
- Median hourly wage: $47.05
- Total employment: 200 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
7 / 50#43. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,050
- Median hourly wage: $47.14
- Total employment: Not available
Deemerwha studio // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Conservation scientists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,050
- Median hourly wage: $47.14
- Total employment: 90 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sabthai // Shutterstock
9 / 50#40. Budget analysts (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,110
- Median hourly wage: $47.17
- Total employment: 330 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
James Kirkikis // Shutterstock
10 / 50#40. Zoologists and wildlife biologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,110
- Median hourly wage: $47.17
- Total employment: 80 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Management analysts (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,110
- Median hourly wage: $47.17
- Total employment: 3,640 people (19.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
12 / 50#38. General and operations managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,450
- Median hourly wage: $47.33
- Total employment: 3,700 people (19.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors (tie)
- Median annual wage: $98,450
- Median hourly wage: $47.33
- Total employment: 40 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Francesco Scatena // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Cartographers and photogrammetrists
- Median annual wage: $99,400
- Median hourly wage: $47.79
- Total employment: 50 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,790
- Median hourly wage: $47.98
- Total employment: 110 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $101,940
- Median hourly wage: $49.01
- Total employment: 140 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $102,060
- Median hourly wage: $49.07
- Total employment: 100 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Freedy // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $105,000
- Median hourly wage: $50.48
- Total employment: 50 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $106,730
- Median hourly wage: $51.31
- Total employment: Not available
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $107,450
- Median hourly wage: $51.66
- Total employment: 460 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $109,210
- Median hourly wage: $52.51
- Total employment: 530 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
22 / 50#28. Network and computer systems administrators (tie)
- Median annual wage: $109,970
- Median hourly wage: $52.87
- Total employment: 530 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer programmers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $109,970
- Median hourly wage: $52.87
- Total employment: 70 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $110,950
- Median hourly wage: $53.34
- Total employment: 570 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $111,630
- Median hourly wage: $53.67
- Total employment: 100 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $112,430
- Median hourly wage: $54.05
- Total employment: 420 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $113,990
- Median hourly wage: $54.80
- Total employment: 80 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $115,480
- Median hourly wage: $55.52
- Total employment: 70 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $118,380
- Median hourly wage: $56.91
- Total employment: 530 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $119,470
- Median hourly wage: $57.44
- Total employment: 320 people (1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $120,990
- Median hourly wage: $58.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
32 / 50#18. Software developers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $121,620
- Median hourly wage: $58.47
- Total employment: 1,050 people (5.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Information security analysts (tie)
- Median annual wage: $121,620
- Median hourly wage: $58.47
- Total employment: 190 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $122,070
- Median hourly wage: $58.69
- Total employment: 140 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $123,630
- Median hourly wage: $59.44
- Total employment: 100 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
36 / 50#14. Purchasing managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $124,190
- Median hourly wage: $59.71
- Total employment: 70 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Training and development managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $124,190
- Median hourly wage: $59.71
- Total employment: 50 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $124,220
- Median hourly wage: $59.72
- Total employment: 130 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $128,150
- Median hourly wage: $61.61
- Total employment: 4,000 people (21.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $130,380
- Median hourly wage: $62.68
- Total employment: 130 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $130,460
- Median hourly wage: $62.72
- Total employment: 40 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,890
- Median hourly wage: $62.93
- Total employment: 60 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $132,660
- Median hourly wage: $63.78
- Total employment: 170 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $133,650
- Median hourly wage: $64.26
- Total employment: 640 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $134,660
- Median hourly wage: $64.74
- Total employment: 210 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $136,240
- Median hourly wage: $65.50
- Total employment: 210 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $136,990
- Median hourly wage: $65.86
- Total employment: 650 people (3.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $157,540
- Median hourly wage: $75.74
- Total employment: 140 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $158,390
- Median hourly wage: $76.15
- Total employment: 480 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 130 people (0.68 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.
