Highest-paying jobs in Walla Walla for high school graduates

For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.

According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.

With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.

Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Walla Walla for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. 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.

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

- Median annual wage: $46,300
- Median hourly wage: $22.26
- Total employment: 180 people (6.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ESB Basic // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Customer service representatives

- Median annual wage: $46,740
- Median hourly wage: $22.47
- Total employment: 160 people (6.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $46,910
- Median hourly wage: $22.55
- Total employment: 210 people (8.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $47,140
- Median hourly wage: $22.66
- Total employment: 80 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $47,150
- Median hourly wage: $22.67
- Total employment: 110 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ruslan Galiullin // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Office clerks, general

- Median annual wage: $47,610
- Median hourly wage: $22.89
- Total employment: 430 people (16.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

brizmaker // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Roofers

- Median annual wage: $48,180
- Median hourly wage: $23.17
- Total employment: 30 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Billing and posting clerks

- Median annual wage: $48,410
- Median hourly wage: $23.27
- Total employment: 50 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

giocalde // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Printing press operators

- Median annual wage: $48,470
- Median hourly wage: $23.30
- Total employment: 40 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. 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)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. 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)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. 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)

DGLimages // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#37. 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)

Dragon Images // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. 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)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. 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

16 / 50

#35. 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

17 / 50

#34. 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

18 / 50

#33. 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)

Stokkete // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. 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)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. 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)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. 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)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. 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

23 / 50

#28. 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

24 / 50

#27. 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

25 / 50

#26. 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

26 / 50

#25. 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)

Lee Charlie // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. 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

28 / 50

#23. 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

29 / 50

#22. 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

30 / 50

#21. 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)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. 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

32 / 50

#19. 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)

Chok Chokchai // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. 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

34 / 50

#17. 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)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. 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

36 / 50

#15. 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

37 / 50

#14. 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)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. 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)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. 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

40 / 50

#11. 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

41 / 50

#10. 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

42 / 50

#9. 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

43 / 50

#8. 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)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. 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

45 / 50

#6. 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)

pio3 // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. 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)

sculpies // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. 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

48 / 50

#3. 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

49 / 50

#1. 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

50 / 50

#1. 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)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.