Highest-paying jobs in Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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.

Vladeep // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $57,160
- Median hourly wage: $27.48
- Total employment: 100 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $57,300
- Median hourly wage: $27.55
- Total employment: 250 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

3 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $57,400
- Median hourly wage: $27.60
- Total employment: 2,170 people (5.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Indypendenz // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

- Median annual wage: $57,490
- Median hourly wage: $27.64
- Total employment: 520 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

5 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $57,650
- Median hourly wage: $27.72
- Total employment: 2,940 people (7.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $57,790
- Median hourly wage: $27.78
- Total employment: 740 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Viktoriia Hnatiuk // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Travel agents

- Median annual wage: $58,040
- Median hourly wage: $27.91
- Total employment: 50 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

John Leung // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Brickmasons and blockmasons

- Median annual wage: $58,260
- Median hourly wage: $28.01
- Total employment: 70 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

9 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $58,290
- Median hourly wage: $28.02
- Total employment: 400 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $58,570
- Median hourly wage: $28.16
- Total employment: 990 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Kot500 // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $58,670
- Median hourly wage: $28.21
- Total employment: 810 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $58,760
- Median hourly wage: $28.25
- Total employment: 1,500 people (3.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Steve Hamann // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners

- Median annual wage: $59,240
- Median hourly wage: $28.48
- Total employment: 80 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Transportation security screeners

- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 90 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $60,170
- Median hourly wage: $28.93
- Total employment: 360 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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pio3 // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $60,460
- Median hourly wage: $29.07
- Total employment: 1,790 people (4.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#33. Protective service workers, all other (tie)

- Median annual wage: $60,520
- Median hourly wage: $29.10
- Total employment: 90 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Property, real estate, and community association managers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $60,520
- Median hourly wage: $29.10
- Total employment: 620 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $60,590
- Median hourly wage: $29.13
- Total employment: 670 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $60,690
- Median hourly wage: $29.18
- Total employment: 250 people (0.59 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: $60,990
- Median hourly wage: $29.32
- Total employment: 1,860 people (4.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

22 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $62,220
- Median hourly wage: $29.91
- Total employment: 2,530 people (6.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Media and communication workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $62,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.95
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

24 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $63,000
- Median hourly wage: $30.29
- Total employment: 6,340 people (15.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

manine99 // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Maintenance workers, machinery

- Median annual wage: $63,110
- Median hourly wage: $30.34
- Total employment: 160 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Akimov Igor // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $63,760
- Median hourly wage: $30.65
- Total employment: 300 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $63,810
- Median hourly wage: $30.68
- Total employment: 1,300 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $64,020
- Median hourly wage: $30.78
- Total employment: 160 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $64,320
- Median hourly wage: $30.92
- Total employment: 630 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

30 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,870
- Median hourly wage: $31.19
- Total employment: 80 people (0.2 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: $65,120
- Median hourly wage: $31.31
- Total employment: 2,580 people (6.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $65,540
- Median hourly wage: $31.51
- Total employment: 290 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $65,820
- Median hourly wage: $31.64
- Total employment: 560 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

- Median annual wage: $67,090
- Median hourly wage: $32.25
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $67,980
- Median hourly wage: $32.68
- Total employment: 270 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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4 PM production // Shutterstock

36 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $71,590
- Median hourly wage: $34.42
- Total employment: 1,730 people (4.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $71,790
- Median hourly wage: $34.52
- Total employment: 100 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

branislavpudar // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Hazardous materials removal workers

- Median annual wage: $74,130
- Median hourly wage: $35.64
- Total employment: 210 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lovely Bird // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Power distributors and dispatchers

- Median annual wage: $75,010
- Median hourly wage: $36.06
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $75,850
- Median hourly wage: $36.47
- Total employment: 230 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $76,230
- Median hourly wage: $36.65
- Total employment: 50 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $77,180
- Median hourly wage: $37.10
- Total employment: 620 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

43 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $77,640
- Median hourly wage: $37.33
- Total employment: 210 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

44 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $80,830
- Median hourly wage: $38.86
- Total employment: 570 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Photostriker // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other

- Median annual wage: $82,680
- Median hourly wage: $39.75
- Total employment: 100 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $88,350
- Median hourly wage: $42.47
- Total employment: 510 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

47 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $92,740
- Median hourly wage: $44.59
- Total employment: 90 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $96,160
- Median hourly wage: $46.23
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $98,220
- Median hourly wage: $47.22
- Total employment: 110 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Skycolors // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Commercial pilots

- Median annual wage: $167,740
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (0.26 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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