Highest-paying jobs in Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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.

mahc // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Tile and stone setters

- Median annual wage: $63,460
- Median hourly wage: $30.51
- Total employment: 180 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Radovan1 / Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Plasterers and stucco masons

- Median annual wage: $63,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.58
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $63,830
- Median hourly wage: $30.69
- Total employment: 390 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $63,890
- Median hourly wage: $30.71
- Total employment: 4,390 people (3.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $64,190
- Median hourly wage: $30.86
- Total employment: 510 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $64,410
- Median hourly wage: $30.97
- Total employment: 330 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $64,480
- Median hourly wage: $31.00
- Total employment: 1,530 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

8 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $66,780
- Median hourly wage: $32.11
- Total employment: 830 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $66,930
- Median hourly wage: $32.18
- Total employment: 2,880 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Chay_Tee // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Tax preparers

- Median annual wage: $66,940
- Median hourly wage: $32.19
- Total employment: 350 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $67,120
- Median hourly wage: $32.27
- Total employment: 2,250 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Denys Yelmanov // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Bridge and lock tenders

- Median annual wage: $67,500
- Median hourly wage: $32.45
- Total employment: 110 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $68,270
- Median hourly wage: $32.82
- Total employment: 1,900 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators

- Median annual wage: $68,590
- Median hourly wage: $32.98
- Total employment: 70 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $71,080
- Median hourly wage: $34.17
- Total employment: 460 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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manine99 // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Maintenance workers, machinery

- Median annual wage: $71,230
- Median hourly wage: $34.24
- Total employment: 200 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $71,430
- Median hourly wage: $34.34
- Total employment: 900 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $74,390
- Median hourly wage: $35.77
- Total employment: 120 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

19 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $74,680
- Median hourly wage: $35.91
- Total employment: 4,830 people (4.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $75,000
- Median hourly wage: $36.06
- Total employment: 160 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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muratart // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Pipelayers

- Median annual wage: $75,520
- Median hourly wage: $36.31
- Total employment: 110 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

adriaticfoto // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Miscellaneous construction and related workers

- Median annual wage: $75,550
- Median hourly wage: $36.32
- Total employment: Not available

4 PM production // Shutterstock

23 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.55
- Total employment: 3,740 people (3.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $76,040
- Median hourly wage: $36.56
- Total employment: 830 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

25 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $76,410
- Median hourly wage: $36.74
- Total employment: 1,350 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

26 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $77,260
- Median hourly wage: $37.14
- Total employment: 450 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Chemical plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $78,310
- Median hourly wage: $37.65
- Total employment: 150 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nagy-Bagoly Arpad // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Insulation workers, mechanical

- Median annual wage: $79,210
- Median hourly wage: $38.08
- Total employment: 110 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

29 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $79,480
- Median hourly wage: $38.21
- Total employment: 250 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers

- Median annual wage: $80,410
- Median hourly wage: $38.66
- Total employment: 300 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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sculpies // Shutterstock

31 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $80,620
- Median hourly wage: $38.76
- Total employment: 5,940 people (5.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $80,870
- Median hourly wage: $38.88
- Total employment: 340 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders

- Median annual wage: $81,280
- Median hourly wage: $39.08
- Total employment: 40 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $82,270
- Median hourly wage: $39.55
- Total employment: 4,800 people (4.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $83,210
- Median hourly wage: $40.00
- Total employment: 150 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

- Median annual wage: $84,310
- Median hourly wage: $40.53
- Total employment: 300 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $85,430
- Median hourly wage: $41.07
- Total employment: 530 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

socrates471 // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Media and communication equipment workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $87,000
- Median hourly wage: $41.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

prochasson frederic // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Boilermakers

- Median annual wage: $89,210
- Median hourly wage: $42.89
- Total employment: 160 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $89,230
- Median hourly wage: $42.90
- Total employment: 80 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $89,310
- Median hourly wage: $42.94
- Total employment: 610 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $97,160
- Median hourly wage: $46.71
- Total employment: 150 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lovely Bird // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Power distributors and dispatchers

- Median annual wage: $98,870
- Median hourly wage: $47.54
- Total employment: 280 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $99,190
- Median hourly wage: $47.69
- Total employment: 1,400 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

- Median annual wage: $100,030
- Median hourly wage: $48.09
- Total employment: 260 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $101,930
- Median hourly wage: $49.01
- Total employment: 1,170 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $105,910
- Median hourly wage: $50.92
- Total employment: 860 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Washburn HM // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Transportation inspectors

- Median annual wage: $106,910
- Median hourly wage: $51.40
- Total employment: 70 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)