Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
1 / 39#39. Graphic designers
- Median annual wage: $36,150
- Median hourly wage: $17.38
- Total employment: 30 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Parkersburg 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 Parkersburg, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 39#38. Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents
- Median annual wage: $37,330
- Median hourly wage: $17.95
- Total employment: 30 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
3 / 39#37. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Median annual wage: $41,150
- Median hourly wage: $19.78
- Total employment: 60 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 39#36. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $46,880
- Median hourly wage: $22.54
- Total employment: 60 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
5 / 39#35. Property appraisers and assessors
- Median annual wage: $47,100
- Median hourly wage: $22.64
- Total employment: 50 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 39#34. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $47,630
- Median hourly wage: $22.90
- Total employment: 330 people (8.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
7 / 39#33. Child, family, and school social workers
- Median annual wage: $47,820
- Median hourly wage: $22.99
- Total employment: 100 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
8 / 39#32. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $48,150
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 280 people (7.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
9 / 39#31. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $50,220
- Median hourly wage: $24.14
- Total employment: 40 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
10 / 39#30. Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school
- Median annual wage: $50,490
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 100 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 39#29. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $50,590
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 240 people (6.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
12 / 39#28. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $52,650
- Median hourly wage: $25.31
- Total employment: 80 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
13 / 39#27. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $57,760
- Median hourly wage: $27.77
- Total employment: 40 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
14 / 39#26. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $58,000
- Median hourly wage: $27.88
- Total employment: 40 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
15 / 39#25. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $59,330
- Median hourly wage: $28.52
- Total employment: 30 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 39#24. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $61,990
- Median hourly wage: $29.80
- Total employment: 30 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GLRL // Shutterstock
17 / 39#23. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $71,920
- Median hourly wage: $34.58
- Total employment: 80 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
boonchoke // Shutterstock
18 / 39#22. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $72,540
- Median hourly wage: $34.87
- Total employment: 200 people (5.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
19 / 39#21. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $75,600
- Median hourly wage: $36.34
- Total employment: 790 people (21.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 39#20. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $77,410
- Median hourly wage: $37.21
- Total employment: 900 people (24.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 39#19. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $79,010
- Median hourly wage: $37.98
- Total employment: 40 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
22 / 39#18. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $79,990
- Median hourly wage: $38.46
- Total employment: 30 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
23 / 39#17. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $84,510
- Median hourly wage: $40.63
- Total employment: 40 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
24 / 39#16. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $84,910
- Median hourly wage: $40.82
- Total employment: 50 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 39#15. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $87,780
- Median hourly wage: $42.20
- Total employment: 90 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rido // Shutterstock
26 / 39#14. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $89,860
- Median hourly wage: $43.20
- Total employment: 420 people (11.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
27 / 39#13. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $92,750
- Median hourly wage: $44.59
- Total employment: 330 people (8.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
28 / 39#12. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $94,740
- Median hourly wage: $45.55
- Total employment: 90 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
29 / 39#11. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $95,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.98
- Total employment: 610 people (16.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
30 / 39#10. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,820
- Median hourly wage: $47.99
- Total employment: 100 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
31 / 39#8. Computer occupations, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,400
- Median hourly wage: $49.71
- Total employment: 360 people (9.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
32 / 39#8. Management analysts (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,400
- Median hourly wage: $49.71
- Total employment: 120 people (3.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
33 / 39#7. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $103,730
- Median hourly wage: $49.87
- Total employment: 100 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
34 / 39#6. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $104,270
- Median hourly wage: $50.13
- Total employment: 70 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 39#5. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $106,430
- Median hourly wage: $51.17
- Total employment: 80 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
36 / 39#4. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $118,350
- Median hourly wage: $56.90
- Total employment: 90 people (2.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
37 / 39#3. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $130,330
- Median hourly wage: $62.66
- Total employment: 160 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
38 / 39#2. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $138,490
- Median hourly wage: $66.58
- Total employment: 120 people (3.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
39 / 39#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $186,520
- Median hourly wage: $89.68
- Total employment: 60 people (1.64 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.
