Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $86,990
- Median hourly wage: $41.82
- Total employment: 260 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Ogden 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 Ogden, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $87,050
- Median hourly wage: $41.85
- Total employment: 40 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $88,620
- Median hourly wage: $42.61
- Total employment: 290 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
4 / 50#46. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health (tie)
- Median annual wage: $89,860
- Median hourly wage: $43.20
- Total employment: 80 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Administrative services managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $89,860
- Median hourly wage: $43.20
- Total employment: 190 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $91,580
- Median hourly wage: $44.03
- Total employment: 320 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $91,840
- Median hourly wage: $44.15
- Total employment: 410 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $92,190
- Median hourly wage: $44.32
- Total employment: 190 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Social scientists and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $92,750
- Median hourly wage: $44.59
- Total employment: 40 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $93,350
- Median hourly wage: $44.88
- Total employment: 1,740 people (6.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $94,310
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 590 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
boonchoke // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $94,910
- Median hourly wage: $45.63
- Total employment: 2,940 people (10.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $95,940
- Median hourly wage: $46.13
- Total employment: 1,100 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,790
- Median hourly wage: $46.53
- Total employment: 590 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $97,090
- Median hourly wage: $46.68
- Total employment: 150 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,790
- Median hourly wage: $47.01
- Total employment: 130 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $97,970
- Median hourly wage: $47.10
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $98,520
- Median hourly wage: $47.36
- Total employment: 50 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,770
- Median hourly wage: $47.48
- Total employment: 890 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $99,060
- Median hourly wage: $47.62
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $99,240
- Median hourly wage: $47.71
- Total employment: 280 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $99,430
- Median hourly wage: $47.81
- Total employment: 1,870 people (6.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,400
- Median hourly wage: $48.75
- Total employment: 40 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $101,780
- Median hourly wage: $48.93
- Total employment: 260 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $102,620
- Median hourly wage: $49.34
- Total employment: 60 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $102,890
- Median hourly wage: $49.47
- Total employment: 100 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $103,420
- Median hourly wage: $49.72
- Total employment: 2,070 people (7.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $103,630
- Median hourly wage: $49.82
- Total employment: 780 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $106,770
- Median hourly wage: $51.33
- Total employment: 3,130 people (11.58 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: $106,950
- Median hourly wage: $51.42
- Total employment: 60 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $107,560
- Median hourly wage: $51.71
- Total employment: 510 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $108,340
- Median hourly wage: $52.09
- Total employment: Not available
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $110,300
- Median hourly wage: $53.03
- Total employment: 90 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $111,180
- Median hourly wage: $53.45
- Total employment: 80 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $111,950
- Median hourly wage: $53.82
- Total employment: 320 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $113,670
- Median hourly wage: $54.65
- Total employment: 40 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $114,140
- Median hourly wage: $54.88
- Total employment: 100 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $116,000
- Median hourly wage: $55.77
- Total employment: 780 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $125,110
- Median hourly wage: $60.15
- Total employment: 220 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $125,530
- Median hourly wage: $60.35
- Total employment: 600 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $126,220
- Median hourly wage: $60.69
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $126,920
- Median hourly wage: $61.02
- Total employment: 810 people (3.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $129,320
- Median hourly wage: $62.17
- Total employment: 120 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,670
- Median hourly wage: $62.82
- Total employment: 540 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $131,690
- Median hourly wage: $63.31
- Total employment: 640 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $131,930
- Median hourly wage: $63.43
- Total employment: 960 people (3.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $154,390
- Median hourly wage: $74.23
- Total employment: 510 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Another77 // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Petroleum engineers
- Median annual wage: $156,050
- Median hourly wage: $75.02
- Total employment: 50 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $157,690
- Median hourly wage: $75.81
- Total employment: 830 people (3.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $159,780
- Median hourly wage: $76.82
- Total employment: 490 people (1.8 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.
