Highest-paying jobs in Hilton Head Island 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 Hilton Head Island 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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SeventyFour // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters

- Median annual wage: $50,280
- Median hourly wage: $24.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $50,490
- Median hourly wage: $24.27
- Total employment: 110 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Undrey // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Data entry keyers

- Median annual wage: $50,580
- Median hourly wage: $24.32
- Total employment: 60 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $50,710
- Median hourly wage: $24.38
- Total employment: 540 people (6.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vitpho // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $50,730
- Median hourly wage: $24.39
- Total employment: 710 people (8.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Community health workers

- Median annual wage: $50,850
- Median hourly wage: $24.45
- Total employment: 30 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PHILIPIMAGE // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Motorboat mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $51,190
- Median hourly wage: $24.61
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorgev // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. First-line supervisors of security workers

- Median annual wage: $51,650
- Median hourly wage: $24.83
- Total employment: 30 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $51,700
- Median hourly wage: $24.86
- Total employment: 40 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $51,760
- Median hourly wage: $24.89
- Total employment: 290 people (3.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $52,220
- Median hourly wage: $25.11
- Total employment: 80 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragon Images // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Procurement clerks

- Median annual wage: $52,290
- Median hourly wage: $25.14
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $52,390
- Median hourly wage: $25.19
- Total employment: 110 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $52,520
- Median hourly wage: $25.25
- Total employment: 190 people (2.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. First-line supervisors of entertainment and recreation workers, except gambling services

- Median annual wage: $52,600
- Median hourly wage: $25.29
- Total employment: 120 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

16 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $53,680
- Median hourly wage: $25.81
- Total employment: 80 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $54,470
- Median hourly wage: $26.19
- Total employment: 190 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $54,690
- Median hourly wage: $26.29
- Total employment: 370 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

XiXinXing // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Medical records specialists

- Median annual wage: $55,730
- Median hourly wage: $26.79
- Total employment: 80 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $56,040
- Median hourly wage: $26.94
- Total employment: 90 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $56,520
- Median hourly wage: $27.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $57,200
- Median hourly wage: $27.50
- Total employment: 590 people (7.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $57,990
- Median hourly wage: $27.88
- Total employment: 50 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $58,060
- Median hourly wage: $27.91
- Total employment: 760 people (9.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $58,230
- Median hourly wage: $27.99
- Total employment: 730 people (8.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $58,370
- Median hourly wage: $28.06
- Total employment: 190 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $60,010
- Median hourly wage: $28.85
- Total employment: 220 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $60,150
- Median hourly wage: $28.92
- Total employment: 520 people (6.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DGLimages // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#21. Healthcare support workers, all other (tie)

- Median annual wage: $60,440
- Median hourly wage: $29.06
- Total employment: 60 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Postal service mail carriers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $60,440
- Median hourly wage: $29.06
- Total employment: 190 people (2.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $60,670
- Median hourly wage: $29.17
- Total employment: 240 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Socrates471 // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Audio and video technicians

- Median annual wage: $61,000
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Total employment: 30 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $61,230
- Median hourly wage: $29.44
- Total employment: 110 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $61,250
- Median hourly wage: $29.45
- Total employment: 70 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

35 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,790
- Median hourly wage: $29.71
- Total employment: 140 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $61,910
- Median hourly wage: $29.77
- Total employment: 40 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

37 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $62,550
- Median hourly wage: $30.07
- Total employment: 370 people (4.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $62,920
- Median hourly wage: $30.25
- Total employment: 60 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $65,780
- Median hourly wage: $31.63
- Total employment: 210 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $67,830
- Median hourly wage: $32.61
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $71,680
- Median hourly wage: $34.46
- Total employment: 300 people (3.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $72,550
- Median hourly wage: $34.88
- Total employment: 250 people (3.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Advertising sales agents

- Median annual wage: $76,090
- Median hourly wage: $36.58
- Total employment: 60 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

44 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $77,260
- Median hourly wage: $37.14
- Total employment: 570 people (6.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $78,960
- Median hourly wage: $37.96
- Total employment: 50 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

46 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $80,820
- Median hourly wage: $38.86
- Total employment: 80 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

NDAB Creativity // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Massage therapists

- Median annual wage: $81,630
- Median hourly wage: $39.25
- Total employment: 110 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $83,150
- Median hourly wage: $39.98
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 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: $92,750
- Median hourly wage: $44.59
- Total employment: 80 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $118,190
- Median hourly wage: $56.82
- Total employment: 40 people (0.43 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.