Highest-paying jobs in Beaumont 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 Beaumont 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.

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $57,040
- Median hourly wage: $27.42
- Total employment: 1,000 people (6.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Occupational health and safety technicians

- Median annual wage: $57,520
- Median hourly wage: $27.66
- Total employment: 70 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

3 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $57,610
- Median hourly wage: $27.70
- Total employment: 250 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorgev // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. First-line supervisors of security workers

- Median annual wage: $57,660
- Median hourly wage: $27.72
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $58,640
- Median hourly wage: $28.19
- Total employment: 290 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $59,210
- Median hourly wage: $28.47
- Total employment: 220 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $59,230
- Median hourly wage: $28.48
- Total employment: 1,900 people (11.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $59,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.51
- Total employment: 140 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Indypendenz // Shutterstock

9 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $59,550
- Median hourly wage: $28.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $59,590
- Median hourly wage: $28.65
- Total employment: 130 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $59,700
- Median hourly wage: $28.70
- Total employment: 180 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $59,710
- Median hourly wage: $28.71
- Total employment: 820 people (5.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

13 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $59,970
- Median hourly wage: $28.83
- Total employment: 910 people (5.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#36. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 1,600 people (10.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman023_photography // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Riggers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 110 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $61,270
- Median hourly wage: $29.46
- Total employment: 80 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $61,400
- Median hourly wage: $29.52
- Total employment: 360 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

flywish // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Structural metal fabricators and fitters

- Median annual wage: $61,610
- Median hourly wage: $29.62
- Total employment: 190 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Dven // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Motorboat operators

- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: Not available

prochasson frederic // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Boilermakers

- Median annual wage: $62,530
- Median hourly wage: $30.06
- Total employment: 300 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Prath // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $62,620
- Median hourly wage: $30.11
- Total employment: 80 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $62,940
- Median hourly wage: $30.26
- Total employment: 60 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

23 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $63,690
- Median hourly wage: $30.62
- Total employment: 930 people (5.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $63,830
- Median hourly wage: $30.69
- Total employment: 440 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $64,360
- Median hourly wage: $30.94
- Total employment: 70 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Kardasov Films // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Sailors and marine oilers

- Median annual wage: $64,540
- Median hourly wage: $31.03
- Total employment: 110 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Elizaveta Galitckaia // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Wellhead pumpers

- Median annual wage: $64,570
- Median hourly wage: $31.04
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rezoff // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Plant and system operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $66,730
- Median hourly wage: $32.08
- Total employment: 70 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jat306 // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $66,770
- Median hourly wage: $32.10
- Total employment: 80 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

30 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $66,990
- Median hourly wage: $32.21
- Total employment: 180 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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SritanaN // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $67,120
- Median hourly wage: $32.27
- Total employment: 1,030 people (6.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $68,310
- Median hourly wage: $32.84
- Total employment: 310 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $71,570
- Median hourly wage: $34.41
- Total employment: 250 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

34 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $73,420
- Median hourly wage: $35.30
- Total employment: 2,100 people (13.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $74,310
- Median hourly wage: $35.73
- Total employment: 310 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $76,090
- Median hourly wage: $36.58
- Total employment: 60 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders

- Median annual wage: $77,070
- Median hourly wage: $37.05
- Total employment: 110 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $77,590
- Median hourly wage: $37.30
- Total employment: 920 people (5.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

39 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $79,260
- Median hourly wage: $38.11
- Total employment: 1,450 people (9.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

40 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $79,410
- Median hourly wage: $38.18
- Total employment: 1,090 people (6.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Elizaveta Galitckaia // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers

- Median annual wage: $80,100
- Median hourly wage: $38.51
- Total employment: 110 people (0.71 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: $81,830
- Median hourly wage: $39.34
- Total employment: 150 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

manine99 // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Maintenance workers, machinery

- Median annual wage: $89,950
- Median hourly wage: $43.25
- Total employment: 340 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $93,330
- Median hourly wage: $44.87
- Total employment: 290 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

curraheeshutter // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Ship engineers

- Median annual wage: $96,610
- Median hourly wage: $46.45
- Total employment: 40 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $97,190
- Median hourly wage: $46.73
- Total employment: 390 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

47 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $97,970
- Median hourly wage: $47.10
- Total employment: 1,820 people (11.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Chemical equipment operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $98,410
- Median hourly wage: $47.31
- Total employment: 1,140 people (7.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $98,600
- Median hourly wage: $47.41
- Total employment: 110 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

50 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $109,810
- Median hourly wage: $52.79
- Total employment: 200 people (1.25 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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