Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $126,430
- Median hourly wage: $60.79
- Total employment: 8,740 people (2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C., using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $126,460
- Median hourly wage: $60.80
- Total employment: 2,650 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $128,190
- Median hourly wage: $61.63
- Total employment: 6,060 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $128,260
- Median hourly wage: $61.66
- Total employment: 350 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Atmospheric and space scientists
- Median annual wage: $128,940
- Median hourly wage: $61.99
- Total employment: 590 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $129,030
- Median hourly wage: $62.03
- Total employment: 3,340 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,040
- Median hourly wage: $62.04
- Total employment: 870 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $130,580
- Median hourly wage: $62.78
- Total employment: 330 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $133,630
- Median hourly wage: $64.24
- Total employment: 340 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $135,190
- Median hourly wage: $65.00
- Total employment: 8,530 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $135,400
- Median hourly wage: $65.09
- Total employment: 760 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $136,150
- Median hourly wage: $65.46
- Total employment: 1,640 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $136,490
- Median hourly wage: $65.62
- Total employment: 11,640 people (3.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $136,820
- Median hourly wage: $65.78
- Total employment: 3,660 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
15 / 50#35. Actuaries (tie)
- Median annual wage: $137,610
- Median hourly wage: $66.16
- Total employment: 690 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Social scientists and related workers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $137,610
- Median hourly wage: $66.16
- Total employment: 7,050 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $138,410
- Median hourly wage: $66.54
- Total employment: 15,870 people (5.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Csomos Attila // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Hydrologists
- Median annual wage: $138,500
- Median hourly wage: $66.59
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $139,780
- Median hourly wage: $67.20
- Total employment: 1,180 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Natee K Jindakum // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Financial examiners
- Median annual wage: $139,790
- Median hourly wage: $67.21
- Total employment: 1,130 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $144,040
- Median hourly wage: $69.25
- Total employment: 35,080 people (11.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $145,260
- Median hourly wage: $69.84
- Total employment: 1,060 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $145,430
- Median hourly wage: $69.92
- Total employment: 2,640 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $145,480
- Median hourly wage: $69.94
- Total employment: 2,320 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $148,020
- Median hourly wage: $71.16
- Total employment: 850 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $150,880
- Median hourly wage: $72.54
- Total employment: 68,210 people (21.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $151,420
- Median hourly wage: $72.80
- Total employment: 108,510 people (34.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $153,340
- Median hourly wage: $73.72
- Total employment: 2,060 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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29 / 50#22. Emergency management directors
- Median annual wage: $153,910
- Median hourly wage: $73.99
- Total employment: 300 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $157,980
- Median hourly wage: $75.95
- Total employment: 2,750 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Medical dosimetrists
- Median annual wage: $159,420
- Median hourly wage: $76.65
- Total employment: 100 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kardasov Films // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Marine engineers and naval architects
- Median annual wage: $160,100
- Median hourly wage: $76.97
- Total employment: 640 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 50#17. Engineers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $162,610
- Median hourly wage: $78.18
- Total employment: 7,950 people (2.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Physical scientists, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $162,610
- Median hourly wage: $78.18
- Total employment: 2,720 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $163,570
- Median hourly wage: $78.64
- Total employment: 8,910 people (2.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $164,650
- Median hourly wage: $79.16
- Total employment: 6,250 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#13. Purchasing managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $167,270
- Median hourly wage: $80.42
- Total employment: 4,320 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Managers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $167,270
- Median hourly wage: $80.42
- Total employment: 42,870 people (13.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $168,770
- Median hourly wage: $81.14
- Total employment: 7,360 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $171,300
- Median hourly wage: $82.36
- Total employment: 490 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $172,970
- Median hourly wage: $83.16
- Total employment: 6,570 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $176,240
- Median hourly wage: $84.73
- Total employment: 9,480 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $177,690
- Median hourly wage: $85.43
- Total employment: 25,520 people (8.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $180,360
- Median hourly wage: $86.71
- Total employment: 5,520 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $185,760
- Median hourly wage: $89.31
- Total employment: 11,140 people (3.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $188,120
- Median hourly wage: $90.44
- Total employment: 6,710 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Lobanov // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Nuclear engineers
- Median annual wage: $189,770
- Median hourly wage: $91.24
- Total employment: 300 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $191,880
- Median hourly wage: $92.25
- Total employment: 20,770 people (6.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 4,590 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 4,500 people (1.44 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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