Highest-paying jobs in Wheeling 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 Wheeling 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.

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1 / 50

#50. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance

- Median annual wage: $47,140
- Median hourly wage: $22.66
- Total employment: 80 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

- Median annual wage: $48,450
- Median hourly wage: $23.29
- Total employment: 140 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

brizmaker // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Roofers

- Median annual wage: $48,610
- Median hourly wage: $23.37
- Total employment: 110 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $48,860
- Median hourly wage: $23.49
- Total employment: 30 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Automotive body and related repairers

- Median annual wage: $48,880
- Median hourly wage: $23.50
- Total employment: 50 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $49,010
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 190 people (3.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $49,680
- Median hourly wage: $23.88
- Total employment: 60 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $50,010
- Median hourly wage: $24.05
- Total employment: 60 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

manine99 // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Maintenance workers, machinery

- Median annual wage: $50,210
- Median hourly wage: $24.14
- Total employment: 30 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Said M // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Service unit operators, oil and gas

- Median annual wage: $50,580
- Median hourly wage: $24.32
- Total employment: 100 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $51,060
- Median hourly wage: $24.55
- Total employment: 70 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $51,290
- Median hourly wage: $24.66
- Total employment: 180 people (3.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $52,950
- Median hourly wage: $25.46
- Total employment: 360 people (6.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $53,850
- Median hourly wage: $25.89
- Total employment: 540 people (9.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $55,270
- Median hourly wage: $26.57
- Total employment: 430 people (7.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $56,330
- Median hourly wage: $27.08
- Total employment: 180 people (2.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $56,580
- Median hourly wage: $27.20
- Total employment: 160 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $57,430
- Median hourly wage: $27.61
- Total employment: 120 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $57,600
- Median hourly wage: $27.69
- Total employment: 260 people (4.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $58,030
- Median hourly wage: $27.90
- Total employment: 50 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $59,040
- Median hourly wage: $28.39
- Total employment: 40 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $60,000
- Median hourly wage: $28.85
- Total employment: 110 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $60,060
- Median hourly wage: $28.87
- Total employment: 80 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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24 / 50

#27. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $60,660
- Median hourly wage: $29.17
- Total employment: 560 people (9.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Hunter Bliss Images // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $61,010
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Total employment: 60 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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rlat // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 50 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $62,990
- Median hourly wage: $30.28
- Total employment: 280 people (4.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Blanscape // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Conveyor operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $63,200
- Median hourly wage: $30.38
- Total employment: 90 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $64,390
- Median hourly wage: $30.96
- Total employment: 60 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Peruphotart // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Underground mining machine operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $64,670
- Median hourly wage: $31.09
- Total employment: 40 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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worradirek // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers

- Median annual wage: $64,810
- Median hourly wage: $31.16
- Total employment: 50 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LaKirr // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Extraction workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $65,350
- Median hourly wage: $31.42
- Total employment: 210 people (3.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ironwas // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Continuous mining machine operators

- Median annual wage: $65,620
- Median hourly wage: $31.55
- Total employment: 150 people (2.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kzenon // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining

- Median annual wage: $65,650
- Median hourly wage: $31.56
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $65,810
- Median hourly wage: $31.64
- Total employment: 260 people (4.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nikita M production // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $65,820
- Median hourly wage: $31.64
- Total employment: 30 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $66,020
- Median hourly wage: $31.74
- Total employment: 220 people (3.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $66,110
- Median hourly wage: $31.79
- Total employment: 220 people (3.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $67,780
- Median hourly wage: $32.59
- Total employment: 350 people (5.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $68,120
- Median hourly wage: $32.75
- Total employment: 120 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $72,560
- Median hourly wage: $34.88
- Total employment: 50 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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42 / 50

#9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $72,660
- Median hourly wage: $34.94
- Total employment: 70 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $75,040
- Median hourly wage: $36.08
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Peruphotart // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining

- Median annual wage: $77,450
- Median hourly wage: $37.24
- Total employment: 200 people (3.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $78,240
- Median hourly wage: $37.62
- Total employment: 390 people (6.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Causeway // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Roof bolters, mining

- Median annual wage: $81,810
- Median hourly wage: $39.33
- Total employment: 150 people (2.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $86,010
- Median hourly wage: $41.35
- Total employment: 150 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $88,710
- Median hourly wage: $42.65
- Total employment: 50 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $90,760
- Median hourly wage: $43.64
- Total employment: 600 people (10.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $94,660
- Median hourly wage: $45.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.71 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.

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