G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $52,360
- Median hourly wage: $25.17
- Total employment: 1,350 people (3.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Greenville for high school graduates
For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.
According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.
With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.
Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Greenville for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. 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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2 / 50#49. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $52,530
- Median hourly wage: $25.26
- Total employment: 80 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $52,960
- Median hourly wage: $25.46
- Total employment: 360 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Median annual wage: $53,570
- Median hourly wage: $25.76
- Total employment: 80 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $53,700
- Median hourly wage: $25.82
- Total employment: 60 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Brokerage clerks
- Median annual wage: $53,910
- Median hourly wage: $25.92
- Total employment: 70 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zhanna Kavaliova // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Logging equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $54,190
- Median hourly wage: $26.06
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $54,320
- Median hourly wage: $26.11
- Total employment: 440 people (1.02 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: $54,400
- Median hourly wage: $26.16
- Total employment: 380 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chay_Tee // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Tax preparers
- Median annual wage: $54,900
- Median hourly wage: $26.39
- Total employment: 310 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $55,230
- Median hourly wage: $26.55
- Total employment: 1,970 people (4.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $55,340
- Median hourly wage: $26.60
- Total employment: 260 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $55,810
- Median hourly wage: $26.83
- Total employment: 910 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $56,090
- Median hourly wage: $26.97
- Total employment: 1,340 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $56,450
- Median hourly wage: $27.14
- Total employment: 540 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $57,670
- Median hourly wage: $27.73
- Total employment: 110 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $58,910
- Median hourly wage: $28.32
- Total employment: 280 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $59,230
- Median hourly wage: $28.48
- Total employment: 160 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $59,400
- Median hourly wage: $28.56
- Total employment: 950 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $59,910
- Median hourly wage: $28.81
- Total employment: 540 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 100 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Cargo and freight agents
- Median annual wage: $60,040
- Median hourly wage: $28.87
- Total employment: 140 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $60,050
- Median hourly wage: $28.87
- Total employment: 450 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $60,410
- Median hourly wage: $29.05
- Total employment: 70 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $60,800
- Median hourly wage: $29.23
- Total employment: 1,300 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $60,970
- Median hourly wage: $29.31
- Total employment: 2,290 people (5.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $61,250
- Median hourly wage: $29.45
- Total employment: 330 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $61,340
- Median hourly wage: $29.49
- Total employment: 840 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $61,480
- Median hourly wage: $29.56
- Total employment: 1,590 people (3.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $61,530
- Median hourly wage: $29.58
- Total employment: 740 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 130 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Advertising sales agents
- Median annual wage: $62,330
- Median hourly wage: $29.97
- Total employment: 350 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $63,070
- Median hourly wage: $30.32
- Total employment: 4,170 people (9.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $63,440
- Median hourly wage: $30.50
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $63,550
- Median hourly wage: $30.56
- Total employment: 90 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $63,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.58
- Total employment: 4,780 people (11.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $64,570
- Median hourly wage: $31.04
- Total employment: 170 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $64,970
- Median hourly wage: $31.23
- Total employment: 610 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $66,020
- Median hourly wage: $31.74
- Total employment: 50 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $69,730
- Median hourly wage: $33.52
- Total employment: 270 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $69,950
- Median hourly wage: $33.63
- Total employment: 2,370 people (5.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $69,960
- Median hourly wage: $33.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $72,070
- Median hourly wage: $34.65
- Total employment: 540 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $74,840
- Median hourly wage: $35.98
- Total employment: 1,510 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $75,820
- Median hourly wage: $36.45
- Total employment: 2,780 people (6.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $76,420
- Median hourly wage: $36.74
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $79,200
- Median hourly wage: $38.08
- Total employment: 60 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $79,790
- Median hourly wage: $38.36
- Total employment: 350 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $81,980
- Median hourly wage: $39.41
- Total employment: 360 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $104,330
- Median hourly wage: $50.16
- Total employment: 520 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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