Highest-paying jobs in Olympia that don't require a college degree

Gen Z has figured out that college isn't the only way to land a high-paying job. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 2 in 5 (38.6%) of recent high school graduates opted out of college in 2023, up from 33.8% in 2019.

This shift comes at a good time for high school grads, as companies face labor shortages for many jobs that don't require a college degree. Baby boomers retiring and a trend to reopen factories in the United States have both driven demand for young talent. A July 2024 Intelligent report found that 1 in 3 companies have already dropped bachelor's degree requirements across entry-level, mid-tier, and even senior positions to attract more employees.

The need for skilled workers, regardless of educational attainment, means better pay. Median wages for those with a high school degree are at their highest since 1990, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

At $40,000 on average, these wages are still $20,000 lower than those of a college grad. Yet nearly 1 in 5 workers who opt out of college earn more than employees with bachelor's degrees. Two million high school grads across the U.S. make six-figure annual salaries—without the financial burden of attending a four-year university. As of 2025, the average annual cost of college is more than $38,200 per student, and the average college graduate has more than $39,000 in student debt. It's little wonder that, according to a May 2024 survey from Pew Research, 29% of Americans think attending college is not worthwhile.

However, not every career field pays high school grads equally well, and understanding what the good jobs are is the first step to landing one. Stacker ranked the 50 highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree in Olympia using annual compensation data from the BLS. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma, a postsecondary nondegree award, or had no formal education requirements for entry-level positions. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.

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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $64,480
- Median hourly wage: $31.00
- Total employment: 100 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $65,790
- Median hourly wage: $31.63
- Total employment: 100 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $66,090
- Median hourly wage: $31.78
- Total employment: 720 people (5.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $66,560
- Median hourly wage: $32.00
- Total employment: 660 people (5.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $67,700
- Median hourly wage: $32.55
- Total employment: 170 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $69,010
- Median hourly wage: $33.18
- Total employment: 400 people (3.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Philip Lange // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Highway maintenance workers

- Median annual wage: $69,060
- Median hourly wage: $33.20
- Total employment: 100 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $70,190
- Median hourly wage: $33.75
- Total employment: 370 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $71,480
- Median hourly wage: $34.37
- Total employment: 190 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $71,800
- Median hourly wage: $34.52
- Total employment: 90 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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GaudiLab // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $72,790
- Median hourly wage: $35.00
- Total employment: 1,160 people (9.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $74,060
- Median hourly wage: $35.60
- Total employment: 610 people (4.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zhanna Kavaliova // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Logging equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $74,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.77
- Total employment: 120 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $75,290
- Median hourly wage: $36.20
- Total employment: 190 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

NDAB Creativity // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Massage therapists

- Median annual wage: $75,650
- Median hourly wage: $36.37
- Total employment: 170 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $76,090
- Median hourly wage: $36.58
- Total employment: 780 people (6.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $76,180
- Median hourly wage: $36.62
- Total employment: 850 people (6.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $77,100
- Median hourly wage: $37.07
- Total employment: 220 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $77,170
- Median hourly wage: $37.10
- Total employment: 270 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $77,210
- Median hourly wage: $37.12
- Total employment: 110 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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MarijaBazarova // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Skincare specialists

- Median annual wage: $78,020
- Median hourly wage: $37.51
- Total employment: 120 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $78,070
- Median hourly wage: $37.54
- Total employment: 290 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $78,790
- Median hourly wage: $37.88
- Total employment: 580 people (4.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $79,220
- Median hourly wage: $38.09
- Total employment: 260 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Real estate sales agents

- Median annual wage: $80,100
- Median hourly wage: $38.51
- Total employment: 190 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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fizkes // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Public safety telecommunicators

- Median annual wage: $80,930
- Median hourly wage: $38.91
- Total employment: 100 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $81,150
- Median hourly wage: $39.02
- Total employment: 40 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $82,050
- Median hourly wage: $39.45
- Total employment: 70 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $82,700
- Median hourly wage: $39.76
- Total employment: 120 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $85,000
- Median hourly wage: $40.86
- Total employment: 70 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $85,620
- Median hourly wage: $41.17
- Total employment: 490 people (3.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $86,200
- Median hourly wage: $41.44
- Total employment: 180 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $88,150
- Median hourly wage: $42.38
- Total employment: 130 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $88,700
- Median hourly wage: $42.65
- Total employment: 380 people (3.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $89,220
- Median hourly wage: $42.90
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $90,180
- Median hourly wage: $43.36
- Total employment: 350 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $94,240
- Median hourly wage: $45.31
- Total employment: 490 people (3.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $95,890
- Median hourly wage: $46.10
- Total employment: 170 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $100,200
- Median hourly wage: $48.17
- Total employment: 150 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lucky Business // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Sales and related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $100,340
- Median hourly wage: $48.24
- Total employment: 60 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $101,310
- Median hourly wage: $48.71
- Total employment: 360 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Paramedics

- Median annual wage: $101,950
- Median hourly wage: $49.02
- Total employment: 110 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Yuriy Golub // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Glaziers

- Median annual wage: $105,400
- Median hourly wage: $50.67
- Total employment: 80 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $105,470
- Median hourly wage: $50.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $108,700
- Median hourly wage: $52.26
- Total employment: 60 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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goodluz // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $111,230
- Median hourly wage: $53.48
- Total employment: 110 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

- Median annual wage: $115,050
- Median hourly wage: $55.31
- Total employment: 220 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $122,380
- Median hourly wage: $58.84
- Total employment: 60 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $134,980
- Median hourly wage: $64.89
- Total employment: 60 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $144,420
- Median hourly wage: $69.43
- Total employment: 160 people (1.23 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.