ITisha // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Median annual wage: $61,210
- Median hourly wage: $29.43
- Total employment: 50 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Allentown 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 Allentown 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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welcomia // Shutterstock
2 / 50#48. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines (tie)
- Median annual wage: $61,220
- Median hourly wage: $29.44
- Total employment: 270 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Surgical technologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $61,220
- Median hourly wage: $29.44
- Total employment: 410 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 200 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jat306 // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $62,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.85
- Total employment: 130 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $62,190
- Median hourly wage: $29.90
- Total employment: 1,790 people (4.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
David Spates // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Median annual wage: $62,220
- Median hourly wage: $29.91
- Total employment: 1,070 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $62,480
- Median hourly wage: $30.04
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $62,520
- Median hourly wage: $30.06
- Total employment: 230 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Median annual wage: $62,640
- Median hourly wage: $30.11
- Total employment: 120 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $63,130
- Median hourly wage: $30.35
- Total employment: 3,550 people (9.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $63,210
- Median hourly wage: $30.39
- Total employment: 880 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $63,620
- Median hourly wage: $30.59
- Total employment: 620 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $63,870
- Median hourly wage: $30.71
- Total employment: 60 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BearFotos // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $63,920
- Median hourly wage: $30.73
- Total employment: 70 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $64,240
- Median hourly wage: $30.89
- Total employment: 330 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $64,350
- Median hourly wage: $30.94
- Total employment: 700 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $64,710
- Median hourly wage: $31.11
- Total employment: 330 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $65,210
- Median hourly wage: $31.35
- Total employment: 760 people (2.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $65,610
- Median hourly wage: $31.54
- Total employment: 100 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $65,930
- Median hourly wage: $31.70
- Total employment: 2,340 people (6.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Meter readers, utilities
- Median annual wage: $66,210
- Median hourly wage: $31.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $66,700
- Median hourly wage: $32.07
- Total employment: 520 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $66,870
- Median hourly wage: $32.15
- Total employment: 1,140 people (3.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Median annual wage: $68,060
- Median hourly wage: $32.72
- Total employment: 70 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vera Larina // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $71,760
- Median hourly wage: $34.50
- Total employment: 130 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $72,540
- Median hourly wage: $34.88
- Total employment: 1,440 people (3.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $72,780
- Median hourly wage: $34.99
- Total employment: 60 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $73,370
- Median hourly wage: $35.28
- Total employment: 3,300 people (8.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $74,130
- Median hourly wage: $35.64
- Total employment: 110 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SatawatK // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $75,810
- Median hourly wage: $36.45
- Total employment: 310 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $76,140
- Median hourly wage: $36.60
- Total employment: 1,950 people (5.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $77,780
- Median hourly wage: $37.39
- Total employment: 60 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $78,060
- Median hourly wage: $37.53
- Total employment: 450 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
adriaticfoto // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Miscellaneous construction and related workers
- Median annual wage: $78,690
- Median hourly wage: $37.83
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $79,150
- Median hourly wage: $38.05
- Total employment: 1,350 people (3.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $79,350
- Median hourly wage: $38.15
- Total employment: 1,330 people (3.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $80,300
- Median hourly wage: $38.61
- Total employment: 320 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N_Sakarin // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Structural iron and steel workers
- Median annual wage: $81,420
- Median hourly wage: $39.14
- Total employment: 130 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $86,060
- Median hourly wage: $41.37
- Total employment: 1,460 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $86,920
- Median hourly wage: $41.79
- Total employment: 270 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $88,450
- Median hourly wage: $42.53
- Total employment: 80 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $91,840
- Median hourly wage: $44.16
- Total employment: 290 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $91,930
- Median hourly wage: $44.20
- Total employment: 210 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $92,600
- Median hourly wage: $44.52
- Total employment: 50 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $93,500
- Median hourly wage: $44.95
- Total employment: 440 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $95,920
- Median hourly wage: $46.12
- Total employment: 200 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $102,790
- Median hourly wage: $49.42
- Total employment: 630 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $107,840
- Median hourly wage: $51.85
- Total employment: 260 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $108,390
- Median hourly wage: $52.11
- Total employment: 370 people (0.99 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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