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1 / 50#50. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $73,300
- Median hourly wage: $35.24
- Total employment: 680 people (5.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in College Station that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in College Station, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $74,900
- Median hourly wage: $36.01
- Total employment: 110 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $75,640
- Median hourly wage: $36.36
- Total employment: 70 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $75,730
- Median hourly wage: $36.41
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $75,820
- Median hourly wage: $36.45
- Total employment: 60 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $76,490
- Median hourly wage: $36.77
- Total employment: 30 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,380
- Median hourly wage: $37.20
- Total employment: 70 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $77,790
- Median hourly wage: $37.40
- Total employment: 70 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $78,110
- Median hourly wage: $37.55
- Total employment: 440 people (3.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $78,880
- Median hourly wage: $37.92
- Total employment: 120 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $78,920
- Median hourly wage: $37.94
- Total employment: 170 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $79,170
- Median hourly wage: $38.06
- Total employment: 50 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $79,270
- Median hourly wage: $38.11
- Total employment: 2,660 people (20.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $79,990
- Median hourly wage: $38.46
- Total employment: 240 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $80,250
- Median hourly wage: $38.58
- Total employment: 80 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $80,330
- Median hourly wage: $38.62
- Total employment: 100 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $80,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.65
- Total employment: 470 people (3.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $81,620
- Median hourly wage: $39.24
- Total employment: 3,500 people (26.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $82,310
- Median hourly wage: $39.57
- Total employment: 30 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $84,500
- Median hourly wage: $40.62
- Total employment: 200 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $84,670
- Median hourly wage: $40.71
- Total employment: 130 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $87,600
- Median hourly wage: $42.12
- Total employment: 60 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $93,820
- Median hourly wage: $45.11
- Total employment: 320 people (2.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $93,940
- Median hourly wage: $45.16
- Total employment: 80 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $96,580
- Median hourly wage: $46.43
- Total employment: 40 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $96,590
- Median hourly wage: $46.44
- Total employment: 50 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,760
- Median hourly wage: $46.52
- Total employment: 270 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $97,810
- Median hourly wage: $47.02
- Total employment: 80 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $99,040
- Median hourly wage: $47.62
- Total employment: 100 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $100,090
- Median hourly wage: $48.12
- Total employment: 90 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $101,360
- Median hourly wage: $48.73
- Total employment: 130 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $101,470
- Median hourly wage: $48.79
- Total employment: 50 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $101,610
- Median hourly wage: $48.85
- Total employment: 580 people (4.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $101,840
- Median hourly wage: $48.96
- Total employment: 530 people (4.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $102,790
- Median hourly wage: $49.42
- Total employment: 120 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Social scientists and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $104,820
- Median hourly wage: $50.39
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $105,600
- Median hourly wage: $50.77
- Total employment: 360 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $106,510
- Median hourly wage: $51.21
- Total employment: 90 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $108,020
- Median hourly wage: $51.94
- Total employment: 80 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $113,520
- Median hourly wage: $54.58
- Total employment: 170 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $114,810
- Median hourly wage: $55.20
- Total employment: 40 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $118,130
- Median hourly wage: $56.79
- Total employment: 120 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $119,640
- Median hourly wage: $57.52
- Total employment: 250 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $119,880
- Median hourly wage: $57.63
- Total employment: 50 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $124,300
- Median hourly wage: $59.76
- Total employment: 390 people (2.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $127,150
- Median hourly wage: $61.13
- Total employment: 40 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $129,010
- Median hourly wage: $62.03
- Total employment: 250 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $129,610
- Median hourly wage: $62.31
- Total employment: 420 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $149,650
- Median hourly wage: $71.95
- Total employment: 70 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $169,580
- Median hourly wage: $81.53
- Total employment: 80 people (0.59 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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