Nordroden // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $51,150
- Median hourly wage: $24.59
- Total employment: 50 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Huntington 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 Huntington 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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welcomia // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $51,250
- Median hourly wage: $24.64
- Total employment: 340 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandr Rybalko // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $51,360
- Median hourly wage: $24.69
- Total employment: 50 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $51,690
- Median hourly wage: $24.85
- Total employment: 360 people (2.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $51,980
- Median hourly wage: $24.99
- Total employment: 60 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $52,010
- Median hourly wage: $25.00
- Total employment: 70 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $52,330
- Median hourly wage: $25.16
- Total employment: 170 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Median annual wage: $52,900
- Median hourly wage: $25.43
- Total employment: 100 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
XiXinXing // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Medical records specialists
- Median annual wage: $53,130
- Median hourly wage: $25.54
- Total employment: 470 people (3.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $53,290
- Median hourly wage: $25.62
- Total employment: 460 people (3.3 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: $53,460
- Median hourly wage: $25.70
- Total employment: 1,380 people (9.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $53,880
- Median hourly wage: $25.90
- Total employment: 490 people (3.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $53,930
- Median hourly wage: $25.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $53,990
- Median hourly wage: $25.96
- Total employment: 160 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $54,550
- Median hourly wage: $26.22
- Total employment: 130 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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pio3 // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $54,590
- Median hourly wage: $26.25
- Total employment: 580 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $54,620
- Median hourly wage: $26.26
- Total employment: 90 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $54,690
- Median hourly wage: $26.29
- Total employment: 130 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Yulai Studio // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Surgical assistants
- Median annual wage: $55,110
- Median hourly wage: $26.50
- Total employment: 70 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $55,690
- Median hourly wage: $26.78
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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M2020 // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $55,750
- Median hourly wage: $26.80
- Total employment: 140 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $56,010
- Median hourly wage: $26.93
- Total employment: 1,020 people (7.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $57,430
- Median hourly wage: $27.61
- Total employment: 770 people (5.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $59,070
- Median hourly wage: $28.40
- Total employment: 210 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 110 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vladeep // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $59,970
- Median hourly wage: $28.83
- Total employment: 100 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $60,220
- Median hourly wage: $28.95
- Total employment: 50 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $60,400
- Median hourly wage: $29.04
- Total employment: 70 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $60,870
- Median hourly wage: $29.27
- Total employment: 780 people (5.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $62,190
- Median hourly wage: $29.90
- Total employment: 130 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dagmara_K // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Drywall and ceiling tile installers
- Median annual wage: $63,050
- Median hourly wage: $30.31
- Total employment: 40 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $63,480
- Median hourly wage: $30.52
- Total employment: 680 people (4.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $64,600
- Median hourly wage: $31.06
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $64,940
- Median hourly wage: $31.22
- Total employment: 150 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $67,140
- Median hourly wage: $32.28
- Total employment: 150 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 PM production // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $67,630
- Median hourly wage: $32.52
- Total employment: 710 people (5.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Median annual wage: $69,330
- Median hourly wage: $33.33
- Total employment: 210 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $71,620
- Median hourly wage: $34.43
- Total employment: 110 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $71,950
- Median hourly wage: $34.59
- Total employment: 370 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $72,490
- Median hourly wage: $34.85
- Total employment: 810 people (5.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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sculpies // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $72,860
- Median hourly wage: $35.03
- Total employment: 950 people (6.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $74,800
- Median hourly wage: $35.96
- Total employment: 120 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jat306 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $74,930
- Median hourly wage: $36.03
- Total employment: 130 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $76,570
- Median hourly wage: $36.81
- Total employment: 30 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $76,860
- Median hourly wage: $36.95
- Total employment: 220 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $79,330
- Median hourly wage: $38.14
- Total employment: 160 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $80,660
- Median hourly wage: $38.78
- Total employment: 390 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $82,010
- Median hourly wage: $39.43
- Total employment: 100 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $82,880
- Median hourly wage: $39.85
- Total employment: 70 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
- Median annual wage: $84,640
- Median hourly wage: $40.69
- Total employment: 60 people (0.42 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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