Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Painters, construction and maintenance
- Median annual wage: $48,510
- Median hourly wage: $23.32
- Total employment: 90 people (3.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla 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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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $48,530
- Median hourly wage: $23.33
- Total employment: 40 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Median annual wage: $48,600
- Median hourly wage: $23.36
- Total employment: 90 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Security guards
- Median annual wage: $48,700
- Median hourly wage: $23.41
- Total employment: 50 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
5 / 50#45. Social and human service assistants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $49,000
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 80 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DGLimages // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Healthcare support workers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $49,000
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 40 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Median annual wage: $49,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.83
- Total employment: 320 people (12.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
- Median annual wage: $49,680
- Median hourly wage: $23.88
- Total employment: 290 people (11.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Office and administrative support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $49,980
- Median hourly wage: $24.03
- Total employment: 70 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $50,440
- Median hourly wage: $24.25
- Total employment: 80 people (2.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stokkete // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Information and record clerks, all other
- Median annual wage: $51,430
- Median hourly wage: $24.73
- Total employment: 90 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
- Median annual wage: $51,460
- Median hourly wage: $24.74
- Total employment: 230 people (8.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $52,900
- Median hourly wage: $25.44
- Total employment: 70 people (2.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
XiXinXing // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Medical records specialists
- Median annual wage: $52,940
- Median hourly wage: $25.45
- Total employment: 30 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Median annual wage: $53,360
- Median hourly wage: $25.65
- Total employment: 50 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $53,890
- Median hourly wage: $25.91
- Total employment: 80 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Median annual wage: $57,550
- Median hourly wage: $27.67
- Total employment: 110 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Median annual wage: $58,090
- Median hourly wage: $27.93
- Total employment: 40 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $58,500
- Median hourly wage: $28.13
- Total employment: 80 people (3.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $58,530
- Median hourly wage: $28.14
- Total employment: 130 people (5.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vitpho // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $59,210
- Median hourly wage: $28.47
- Total employment: 220 people (8.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lee Charlie // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Median annual wage: $59,700
- Median hourly wage: $28.70
- Total employment: 40 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
- Median annual wage: $60,020
- Median hourly wage: $28.86
- Total employment: 40 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Median annual wage: $60,330
- Median hourly wage: $29.01
- Total employment: 30 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $60,720
- Median hourly wage: $29.19
- Total employment: 70 people (2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $60,860
- Median hourly wage: $29.26
- Total employment: 50 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Philip Lange // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $61,050
- Median hourly wage: $29.35
- Total employment: 40 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
David Spates // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 70 people (2.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chok Chokchai // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $62,470
- Median hourly wage: $30.03
- Total employment: 140 people (5.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $62,710
- Median hourly wage: $30.15
- Total employment: 60 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Joey Chung // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $62,790
- Median hourly wage: $30.19
- Total employment: 60 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $63,870
- Median hourly wage: $30.71
- Total employment: 40 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $66,010
- Median hourly wage: $31.74
- Total employment: 60 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $66,550
- Median hourly wage: $31.99
- Total employment: 60 people (2.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $66,740
- Median hourly wage: $32.09
- Total employment: 30 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $68,930
- Median hourly wage: $33.14
- Total employment: 70 people (2.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $71,280
- Median hourly wage: $34.27
- Total employment: 210 people (8.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $73,100
- Median hourly wage: $35.15
- Total employment: 190 people (7.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $74,040
- Median hourly wage: $35.60
- Total employment: 70 people (2.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $75,250
- Median hourly wage: $36.18
- Total employment: 90 people (3.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $75,310
- Median hourly wage: $36.21
- Total employment: 60 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $75,440
- Median hourly wage: $36.27
- Total employment: 50 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $75,520
- Median hourly wage: $36.31
- Total employment: 190 people (7.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $78,380
- Median hourly wage: $37.69
- Total employment: 30 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $84,460
- Median hourly wage: $40.61
- Total employment: 90 people (3.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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sculpies // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $85,730
- Median hourly wage: $41.22
- Total employment: 80 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $86,400
- Median hourly wage: $41.54
- Total employment: 110 people (4.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
48 / 50#2. Real estate sales agents (tie)
- Median annual wage: $94,310
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 40 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Construction and building inspectors (tie)
- Median annual wage: $94,310
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 40 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $102,430
- Median hourly wage: $49.25
- Total employment: 40 people (1.46 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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