fizkes // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
- Median annual wage: $74,320
- Median hourly wage: $35.73
- Total employment: 60 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Oshkosh 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 Oshkosh, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $74,440
- Median hourly wage: $35.79
- Total employment: 440 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $75,560
- Median hourly wage: $36.33
- Total employment: 150 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Credit analysts
- Median annual wage: $75,980
- Median hourly wage: $36.53
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
REDPIXEL.PL // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Commercial and industrial designers
- Median annual wage: $76,160
- Median hourly wage: $36.62
- Total employment: 30 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $76,740
- Median hourly wage: $36.89
- Total employment: 50 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $76,830
- Median hourly wage: $36.94
- Total employment: 150 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $77,260
- Median hourly wage: $37.15
- Total employment: 110 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $77,360
- Median hourly wage: $37.19
- Total employment: 140 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $77,370
- Median hourly wage: $37.20
- Total employment: 710 people (7.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $77,840
- Median hourly wage: $37.42
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $78,020
- Median hourly wage: $37.51
- Total employment: 110 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $79,520
- Median hourly wage: $38.23
- Total employment: 150 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $79,850
- Median hourly wage: $38.39
- Total employment: 40 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $80,810
- Median hourly wage: $38.85
- Total employment: 50 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $81,530
- Median hourly wage: $39.20
- Total employment: 210 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $81,960
- Median hourly wage: $39.40
- Total employment: 40 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $82,490
- Median hourly wage: $39.66
- Total employment: 200 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $82,980
- Median hourly wage: $39.90
- Total employment: 1,910 people (20.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $85,010
- Median hourly wage: $40.87
- Total employment: 260 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $85,480
- Median hourly wage: $41.10
- Total employment: 280 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $86,200
- Median hourly wage: $41.44
- Total employment: 350 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $88,250
- Median hourly wage: $42.43
- Total employment: 40 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $88,270
- Median hourly wage: $42.44
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $95,400
- Median hourly wage: $45.87
- Total employment: 680 people (7.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $96,690
- Median hourly wage: $46.49
- Total employment: 700 people (7.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $96,950
- Median hourly wage: $46.61
- Total employment: 30 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,810
- Median hourly wage: $47.50
- Total employment: 160 people (1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $100,020
- Median hourly wage: $48.09
- Total employment: 180 people (1.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,680
- Median hourly wage: $48.40
- Total employment: 50 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,060
- Median hourly wage: $49.55
- Total employment: 250 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
THICHA SATAPITANON // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Financial risk specialists
- Median annual wage: $103,250
- Median hourly wage: $49.64
- Total employment: 30 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $105,620
- Median hourly wage: $50.78
- Total employment: 580 people (6.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $109,720
- Median hourly wage: $52.75
- Total employment: 110 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $110,920
- Median hourly wage: $53.33
- Total employment: 210 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VE.Studio // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $116,760
- Median hourly wage: $56.13
- Total employment: 30 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $118,330
- Median hourly wage: $56.89
- Total employment: 140 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $118,440
- Median hourly wage: $56.94
- Total employment: 60 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $120,720
- Median hourly wage: $58.04
- Total employment: 100 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $121,560
- Median hourly wage: $58.44
- Total employment: 340 people (3.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $122,120
- Median hourly wage: $58.71
- Total employment: 430 people (4.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $123,970
- Median hourly wage: $59.60
- Total employment: 1,070 people (11.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $127,210
- Median hourly wage: $61.16
- Total employment: 70 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $129,050
- Median hourly wage: $62.04
- Total employment: 250 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $129,790
- Median hourly wage: $62.40
- Total employment: 320 people (3.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $133,830
- Median hourly wage: $64.34
- Total employment: 160 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $136,700
- Median hourly wage: $65.72
- Total employment: 200 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $143,050
- Median hourly wage: $68.78
- Total employment: 500 people (5.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $147,860
- Median hourly wage: $71.09
- Total employment: 150 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $167,190
- Median hourly wage: $80.38
- Total employment: 210 people (2.26 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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