BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $48,920
- Median hourly wage: $23.52
- Total employment: 620 people (10.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Sheboygan 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 Sheboygan 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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giocalde // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Printing press operators
- Median annual wage: $49,010
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 160 people (2.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $49,130
- Median hourly wage: $23.62
- Total employment: 300 people (4.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $49,270
- Median hourly wage: $23.69
- Total employment: 130 people (2.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Bus drivers, transit and intercity
- Median annual wage: $49,390
- Median hourly wage: $23.75
- Total employment: Not available
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4 PM production // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Automotive body and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $49,710
- Median hourly wage: $23.90
- Total employment: 50 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock
7 / 50#43. Painters, construction and maintenance (tie)
- Median annual wage: $49,920
- Median hourly wage: $24.00
- Total employment: 100 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
evgenii mitroshin // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $49,920
- Median hourly wage: $24.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Median annual wage: $49,940
- Median hourly wage: $24.01
- Total employment: 580 people (9.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DC Studio // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Median annual wage: $50,500
- Median hourly wage: $24.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $50,800
- Median hourly wage: $24.42
- Total employment: 500 people (8.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandr Rybalko // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $50,850
- Median hourly wage: $24.45
- Total employment: 140 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alba_alioth // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $53,710
- Median hourly wage: $25.82
- Total employment: 1,010 people (16.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $55,270
- Median hourly wage: $26.57
- Total employment: 110 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $56,000
- Median hourly wage: $26.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kot500 // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $56,280
- Median hourly wage: $27.06
- Total employment: 110 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $57,360
- Median hourly wage: $27.58
- Total employment: 130 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $57,580
- Median hourly wage: $27.68
- Total employment: 120 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Philip Lange // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $57,920
- Median hourly wage: $27.85
- Total employment: 160 people (2.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $59,210
- Median hourly wage: $28.47
- Total employment: 1,040 people (17.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dagmara_K // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Drywall and ceiling tile installers
- Median annual wage: $59,380
- Median hourly wage: $28.55
- Total employment: 30 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $59,510
- Median hourly wage: $28.61
- Total employment: 320 people (5.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $60,120
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 340 people (5.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Median annual wage: $60,140
- Median hourly wage: $28.91
- Total employment: 60 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $60,230
- Median hourly wage: $28.96
- Total employment: 70 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Median annual wage: $60,610
- Median hourly wage: $29.14
- Total employment: 760 people (12.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $61,110
- Median hourly wage: $29.38
- Total employment: 220 people (3.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 30 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $62,810
- Median hourly wage: $30.20
- Total employment: 230 people (3.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $63,740
- Median hourly wage: $30.64
- Total employment: 40 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Median annual wage: $64,280
- Median hourly wage: $30.90
- Total employment: 120 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $64,320
- Median hourly wage: $30.92
- Total employment: 50 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $64,360
- Median hourly wage: $30.94
- Total employment: 190 people (3.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $64,600
- Median hourly wage: $31.06
- Total employment: 40 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $65,040
- Median hourly wage: $31.27
- Total employment: 500 people (8.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Irene Miller // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $65,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.63
- Total employment: 100 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $66,160
- Median hourly wage: $31.81
- Total employment: 430 people (7.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $66,810
- Median hourly wage: $32.12
- Total employment: 140 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $67,200
- Median hourly wage: $32.31
- Total employment: 40 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $73,450
- Median hourly wage: $35.31
- Total employment: 730 people (11.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $74,070
- Median hourly wage: $35.61
- Total employment: 110 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $75,850
- Median hourly wage: $36.47
- Total employment: 250 people (4.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $75,880
- Median hourly wage: $36.48
- Total employment: 180 people (2.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $76,900
- Median hourly wage: $36.97
- Total employment: 340 people (5.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $77,130
- Median hourly wage: $37.08
- Total employment: 50 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $77,560
- Median hourly wage: $37.29
- Total employment: 1,080 people (17.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $80,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.65
- Total employment: 250 people (4.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $85,560
- Median hourly wage: $41.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $102,560
- Median hourly wage: $49.31
- Total employment: 80 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $103,770
- Median hourly wage: $49.89
- Total employment: 90 people (1.43 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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