
Highest paying jobs in Walla Walla for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Walla Walla for high school graduates
The average college graduate in 2020 earned $1,305 a week, while the average high school graduate takes home just $781, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Of course, college isn’t for everyone. There are many reasons high-school graduates may choose to not continue on to college, not the least of which being cost. Average tuition costs continue to rise each year, the exception being the 2020-2021 school year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Average tuition at a public, in-state university coming in at $9,687; tuition for out-of-state students at public schools, and for everyone at private universities, is significantly higher at $21,874 and $35,087, respectively.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest paying jobs for high school graduates in Walla Walla, WA using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to see which jobs in your city pay the most for high school graduates.
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#50. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Annual mean salary: $31,780
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $26,900
- Employment: 222,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($52,150)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($48,900)
--- Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area ($45,780)
#49. Driver/sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $33,510
- #117 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $31,870
- Employment: 420,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bismarck, ND ($48,560)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($46,390)
--- Fargo, ND-MN ($46,360)

#48. Stockers and order fillers
- Annual mean salary: $33,630
- #109 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 350
National
- Annual mean salary: $31,010
- Employment: 2,210,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($42,240)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($41,960)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($40,620)
#47. Recreation workers
- Annual mean salary: $33,680
- #102 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $30,960
- Employment: 325,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($50,710)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($45,730)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($44,200)
#46. Receptionists and information clerks
- Annual mean salary: $34,410
- #71 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $32,410
- Employment: 968,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($45,080)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($44,680)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($41,290)
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#45. Helpers--production workers
- Annual mean salary: $35,190
- #132 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $32,000
- Employment: 239,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN ($48,190)
--- Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area ($44,860)
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($43,950)

#44. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $37,070
- #155 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $35,220
- Employment: 370,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Battle Creek, MI ($60,150)
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($54,930)
--- Albany, GA ($53,570)
#43. Tellers
- Annual mean salary: $38,520
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $32,960
- Employment: 423,570
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($45,040)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($43,490)
--- Napa, CA ($42,000)
#42. Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $38,890
- #140 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,220
- Employment: 52,760
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area ($60,940)
--- Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area ($52,510)
--- Bowling Green, KY ($49,980)

#41. Printing press operators
- Annual mean salary: $39,010
- #192 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,200
- Employment: 160,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($56,850)
--- Dover-Durham, NH-ME ($51,730)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($50,370)
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#40. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $39,190
- #125 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $39,000
- Employment: 597,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,010)
--- Napa, CA ($52,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,300)
#39. Customer service representatives
- Annual mean salary: $39,250
- #122 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,510
- Employment: 2,833,250
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($52,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($50,510)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($47,490)
#38. Office clerks, general
- Annual mean salary: $39,490
- #128 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 590
National
- Annual mean salary: $37,770
- Employment: 2,788,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($49,980)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($49,740)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($48,850)

#37. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Annual mean salary: $40,150
- #83 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $37,210
- Employment: 727,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($51,470)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($48,440)
--- Anchorage, AK ($47,150)

#36. Light truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $42,130
- #160 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,050
- Employment: 929,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($51,860)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($51,560)
--- Waterbury, CT ($50,100)
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#35. Social and human service assistants
- Annual mean salary: $42,580
- #79 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,230
- Employment: 399,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($56,140)
--- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area ($55,360)
--- Danbury, CT ($54,870)
#34. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
- Annual mean salary: $43,050
- #89 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,420
- Employment: 1,850,360
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,720)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,730)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($54,450)

#33. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Annual mean salary: $43,070
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $37,880
- Employment: 891,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($52,950)
--- Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area ($52,620)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,140)
#32. Pharmacy technicians
- Annual mean salary: $43,830
- #44 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $36,450
- Employment: 415,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($59,340)
--- Napa, CA ($58,620)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($58,390)
#31. Billing and posting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $45,210
- #53 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,610
- Employment: 445,160
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,850)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($55,130)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($54,960)
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#30. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $45,250
- #208 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,300
- Employment: 1,063,110
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($57,830)
--- Boulder, CO ($56,520)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,930)
#29. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Annual mean salary: $46,350
- #80 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 204,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($59,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,140)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,710)

#28. Security guards
- Annual mean salary: $46,410
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $34,360
- Employment: 1,054,400
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($70,350)
--- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA ($58,440)
--- Western Washington nonmetropolitan area ($57,480)

#27. Self-enrichment teachers
- Annual mean salary: $47,180
- #90 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,930
- Employment: 222,700
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,350)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($66,650)
--- Utica-Rome, NY ($63,470)

#26. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Annual mean salary: $47,220
- #68 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,790
- Employment: 1,357,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($60,230)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($59,870)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($56,650)
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#25. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $49,110
- #82 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,580
- Employment: 549,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($88,150)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($80,420)
--- Odessa, TX ($70,950)

#24. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $49,310
- #265 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,000
- Employment: 362,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($67,770)

#23. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $49,330
- #120 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,690
- Employment: 397,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
--- Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($71,250)

#22. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,720
- #392 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,180
- Employment: 333,570
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Modesto, CA ($57,160)
--- Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)
#21. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $53,460
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,850
- Employment: 47,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($92,800)
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($83,130)
--- Napa, CA ($68,470)
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#20. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $53,920
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,090
- Employment: 253,010
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,900)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($73,400)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,480)

#18 (tie). Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $54,390
- #113 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,200
- Employment: 699,300
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($81,730)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,680)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,280)

#18 (tie). Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $54,390
- #357 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,100
- Employment: 409,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,230)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,470)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($95,620)
#17. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $55,310
- #318 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,230
- Employment: 503,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,590)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($87,760)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($87,420)

#16. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $56,900
- #386 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,490
- Employment: 977,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
--- Boulder, CO ($101,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)
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#15. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $57,420
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,890
- Employment: 119,380
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,980)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($92,370)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($87,990)

#14. Correctional officers and jailers
- Annual mean salary: $59,230
- #53 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 620
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,340
- Employment: 405,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($96,580)
--- Salinas, CA ($89,100)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($86,260)

#13. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $59,900
- #146 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,280
- Employment: 402,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,910)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($91,860)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,120)

#12. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $63,140
- #328 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,800
- Employment: 599,900
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($96,900)

#11. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $63,750
- #83 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,350
- Employment: 385,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
--- Anchorage, AK ($82,890)
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#10. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $64,880
- #69 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,010
- Employment: 1,427,260
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($82,050)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($79,520)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,430)

#9. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $66,390
- #439 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $90,120
- Employment: 240,290
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Portland-South Portland, ME ($129,860)
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($121,360)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($121,250)

#8. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $68,240
- #88 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,550
- Employment: 656,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,900)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,090)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($86,600)

#7. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $71,920
- #124 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,500
- Employment: 1,278,670
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
--- Napa, CA ($92,620)

#6. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $75,700
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,470
- Employment: 113,770
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New Haven, CT ($121,510)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($107,330)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($106,190)
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#5. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $77,340
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,990
- Employment: 168,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Midland, TX ($100,060)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($99,880)
--- Worcester, MA-CT ($93,400)

#4. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $78,250
- #68 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,100
- Employment: 475,000
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($93,830)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,030)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,870)

#3. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $79,150
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,100
- Employment: 417,440
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,580)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($89,500)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($89,190)

#2. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $79,900
- #73 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $72,990
- Employment: 614,080
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,020)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,820)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($101,210)

#1. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $90,350
- #79 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $74,410
- Employment: 114,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($117,700)
--- Salinas, CA ($110,180)
--- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area ($109,740)
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