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1 / 50#50. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $84,660
- Median hourly wage: $40.70
- Total employment: 560 people (4.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Midland 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 Midland, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $84,990
- Median hourly wage: $40.86
- Total employment: 190 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $87,490
- Median hourly wage: $42.06
- Total employment: 970 people (8.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $88,460
- Median hourly wage: $42.53
- Total employment: 1,080 people (9.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $91,320
- Median hourly wage: $43.91
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $93,380
- Median hourly wage: $44.90
- Total employment: 190 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $94,770
- Median hourly wage: $45.56
- Total employment: 70 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,350
- Median hourly wage: $46.32
- Total employment: 170 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $97,800
- Median hourly wage: $47.02
- Total employment: 70 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,500
- Median hourly wage: $47.36
- Total employment: 280 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $98,540
- Median hourly wage: $47.38
- Total employment: 820 people (6.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,770
- Median hourly wage: $47.49
- Total employment: 60 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $98,900
- Median hourly wage: $47.55
- Total employment: 50 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,320
- Median hourly wage: $48.23
- Total employment: 80 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 50#36. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,340
- Median hourly wage: $48.24
- Total employment: 90 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $100,460
- Median hourly wage: $48.30
- Total employment: 540 people (4.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,010
- Median hourly wage: $48.56
- Total employment: 240 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $101,190
- Median hourly wage: $48.65
- Total employment: 40 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50#32. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $105,440
- Median hourly wage: $50.69
- Total employment: 150 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $106,040
- Median hourly wage: $50.98
- Total employment: 260 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $106,290
- Median hourly wage: $51.10
- Total employment: 90 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 50#29. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $107,660
- Median hourly wage: $51.76
- Total employment: 50 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $109,560
- Median hourly wage: $52.67
- Total employment: 90 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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24 / 50#27. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $111,830
- Median hourly wage: $53.76
- Total employment: 60 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $112,170
- Median hourly wage: $53.93
- Total employment: 90 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $113,130
- Median hourly wage: $54.39
- Total employment: 120 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $120,740
- Median hourly wage: $58.05
- Total employment: 40 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $120,990
- Median hourly wage: $58.17
- Total employment: 640 people (5.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $122,270
- Median hourly wage: $58.79
- Total employment: 250 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $125,060
- Median hourly wage: $60.12
- Total employment: 50 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $125,350
- Median hourly wage: $60.26
- Total employment: 70 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $126,310
- Median hourly wage: $60.73
- Total employment: 4,830 people (40.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $126,660
- Median hourly wage: $60.90
- Total employment: 180 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $127,160
- Median hourly wage: $61.13
- Total employment: 340 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $128,060
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 30 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $129,810
- Median hourly wage: $62.41
- Total employment: 60 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $131,660
- Median hourly wage: $63.30
- Total employment: 60 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $137,050
- Median hourly wage: $65.89
- Total employment: 130 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $137,110
- Median hourly wage: $65.92
- Total employment: 300 people (2.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $138,350
- Median hourly wage: $66.51
- Total employment: 240 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $138,880
- Median hourly wage: $66.77
- Total employment: 610 people (5.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $139,230
- Median hourly wage: $66.94
- Total employment: 40 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $148,620
- Median hourly wage: $71.45
- Total employment: 340 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $151,380
- Median hourly wage: $72.78
- Total employment: 460 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $164,350
- Median hourly wage: $79.01
- Total employment: 630 people (5.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $165,830
- Median hourly wage: $79.72
- Total employment: 250 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Another77 // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $165,880
- Median hourly wage: $79.75
- Total employment: 1,180 people (9.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $169,780
- Median hourly wage: $81.63
- Total employment: 250 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $209,970
- Median hourly wage: $100.95
- Total employment: 220 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.76 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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