luchschenF // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $81,460
- Median hourly wage: $39.16
- Total employment: 60 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Burlington 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 Burlington, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $82,820
- Median hourly wage: $39.82
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Technical writers
- Median annual wage: $83,940
- Median hourly wage: $40.36
- Total employment: 60 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Career/technical education teachers, secondary school
- Median annual wage: $84,100
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $84,660
- Median hourly wage: $40.70
- Total employment: 3,060 people (25.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $85,230
- Median hourly wage: $40.98
- Total employment: 30 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $87,420
- Median hourly wage: $42.03
- Total employment: 180 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $88,560
- Median hourly wage: $42.58
- Total employment: 160 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $89,330
- Median hourly wage: $42.95
- Total employment: 320 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $90,150
- Median hourly wage: $43.34
- Total employment: 180 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $90,510
- Median hourly wage: $43.52
- Total employment: 310 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $91,350
- Median hourly wage: $43.92
- Total employment: 170 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $91,500
- Median hourly wage: $43.99
- Total employment: 1,350 people (11.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $94,040
- Median hourly wage: $45.21
- Total employment: 2,960 people (24.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $94,100
- Median hourly wage: $45.24
- Total employment: 310 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $94,290
- Median hourly wage: $45.33
- Total employment: 90 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $94,580
- Median hourly wage: $45.47
- Total employment: 180 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $94,990
- Median hourly wage: $45.67
- Total employment: Not available
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19 / 50#32. Budget analysts
- Median annual wage: $96,030
- Median hourly wage: $46.17
- Total employment: 60 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $96,950
- Median hourly wage: $46.61
- Total employment: 40 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $97,350
- Median hourly wage: $46.80
- Total employment: 40 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $97,900
- Median hourly wage: $47.07
- Total employment: 130 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $98,690
- Median hourly wage: $47.45
- Total employment: 300 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Credit analysts
- Median annual wage: $99,520
- Median hourly wage: $47.85
- Total employment: 30 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,720
- Median hourly wage: $47.94
- Total employment: 350 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $101,160
- Median hourly wage: $48.63
- Total employment: 560 people (4.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $104,200
- Median hourly wage: $50.10
- Total employment: 60 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,680
- Median hourly wage: $50.33
- Total employment: 260 people (2.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $105,630
- Median hourly wage: $50.78
- Total employment: 80 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $105,950
- Median hourly wage: $50.94
- Total employment: 150 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $106,620
- Median hourly wage: $51.26
- Total employment: 770 people (6.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $109,190
- Median hourly wage: $52.49
- Total employment: 650 people (5.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $112,320
- Median hourly wage: $54.00
- Total employment: 380 people (3.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $113,180
- Median hourly wage: $54.41
- Total employment: 230 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $113,290
- Median hourly wage: $54.47
- Total employment: Not available
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36 / 50#15. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $123,060
- Median hourly wage: $59.16
- Total employment: 120 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $124,340
- Median hourly wage: $59.78
- Total employment: 160 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $125,880
- Median hourly wage: $60.52
- Total employment: 500 people (4.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $127,030
- Median hourly wage: $61.07
- Total employment: 60 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $128,520
- Median hourly wage: $61.79
- Total employment: 40 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $129,650
- Median hourly wage: $62.33
- Total employment: 320 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $131,000
- Median hourly wage: $62.98
- Total employment: 1,250 people (10.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $131,780
- Median hourly wage: $63.36
- Total employment: 130 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
44 / 50#6. Purchasing managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $132,720
- Median hourly wage: $63.81
- Total employment: 60 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Managers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $132,720
- Median hourly wage: $63.81
- Total employment: 660 people (5.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $136,560
- Median hourly wage: $65.66
- Total employment: 630 people (5.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $136,610
- Median hourly wage: $65.68
- Total employment: 340 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $162,740
- Median hourly wage: $78.24
- Total employment: 460 people (3.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $165,020
- Median hourly wage: $79.34
- Total employment: 200 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $228,640
- Median hourly wage: $109.92
- Total employment: 180 people (1.47 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.
