39. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $71,260

Number of people employed in 2021: 526,240

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

38. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

Construction managers looking over construction plans

Median annual wage in 2021: $72,010

Number of people employed in 2021: 665,870

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

37. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

In this Friday, April 17, 2020, photo, Chris Petersen looks at a Berkshire hog in a pen on his farm near Clear Lake, Iowa. COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has created problems for all meat producers, but pork farmers have been hit especially hard. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Median annual wage in 2021: $73,060

Number of people employed in 2021: 5,220

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

36. Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians

Median annual wage in 2021: $73,580

Number of people employed in 2021: 10,900

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

35. Funeral home managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $74,000

Number of people employed in 2021: 12,710

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

34. Pile driver operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $76,260

Number of people employed in 2021: 3,760

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

33. Gambling managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $76,910

Number of people employed in 2021: 3,660

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

32. Transportation equipment electrical and electronics installers and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,250

Number of people employed in 2021: 10,710

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

31. Athletes and sports competitors

Football players playing football. One of the athletes is running with the football in his hand.

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,300

Number of people employed in 2021: 12,320

Typical education required: No formal educational credential

30. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,360

Number of people employed in 2021: 38,070

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

29. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,740

Number of people employed in 2021: 78,640

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

28. Dental hygienists

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,810

Number of people employed in 2021: 207,190

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

27. Gas plant operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,850

Number of people employed in 2021: 15,110

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

26. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

Median annual wage in 2021: $78,230

Number of people employed in 2021: 80,890

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

25. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $78,310

Number of people employed in 2021: 123,940

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

24. Nuclear medicine technologists

Median annual wage in 2021: $78,760

Number of people employed in 2021: 17,140

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

23. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,540

Number of people employed in 2021: 34,230

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

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

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,680

Number of people employed in 2021: 243,920

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

21. Locomotive engineers

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,740

Number of people employed in 2021: 38,980

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

20. Transportation inspectors

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,770

Number of people employed in 2021: 25,070

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

19. Postmasters and mail superintendents

Median annual wage in 2021: $80,250

Number of people employed in 2021: 12,750

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

18. Signal and track switch repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $80,570

Number of people employed in 2021: 8,090

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

17. Power plant operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $80,850

Number of people employed in 2021: 28,960

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

16. Subway and streetcar operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $81,180

Number of people employed in 2021: 10,310

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

15. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

Median annual wage in 2021: $81,640

Number of people employed in 2021: 33,490

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

12. Detectives and criminal investigators

Median annual wage in 2021: $83,640

Number of people employed in 2021: 107,890

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

11. Powerhouse, substation, and relay electrical and electronics repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $93,420

Number of people employed in 2021: 22,490

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

10. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $97,860

Number of people employed in 2021: 22,510

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

9. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $98,230

Number of people employed in 2021: 144,640

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

7. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

Median annual wage in 2021: $99,330

Number of people employed in 2021: 128,230

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

4. Nuclear power reactor operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $104,260

Number of people employed in 2021: 4,820

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

3. Medical dosimetrists

MRI radiologists or technologists sitting at the console in the operating room and operating the MRI scanner

Median annual wage in 2021: $127,270

Number of people employed in 2021: 2,400

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award*

*This education requirement comes from the employment title “medical dosimetrists, medical records specialists, and health technologists and technicians, all other.”

2. Air traffic controllers

Median annual wage in 2021: $129,750

Number of people employed in 2021: 21,230

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

1. Theatrical and performance makeup artists

Median annual wage in 2021: $134,750

Number of people employed in 2021: 1,960

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

Method and data source

There are plenty of high-paying jobs that require only a two-year associate degree, postsecondary nondegree certificate, or even just a high-school diploma. They may not even require a formal educational credential at all.

Insider decided to look at which jobs do not require a bachelor’s degree or higher and are also high-paying. To do this, we used the latest educational data and salary figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Of the top 39 jobs on our list, each occupation had a median annual salary of over $70,000 in May 2021, the latest year of available data in the BLS’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.

Some occupations from the 39 highest-paying are part of the transportation sector. This includes subway and streetcar operators as well as locomotive engineers. Other jobs also include technicians and repairers, such as electrical power-line installers and repairers.

In our ranking, we included each occupation’s median annual salary and employment figures from May 2021. We also included each occupation’s minimum educational requirement.

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39. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $71,260

Number of people employed in 2021: 526,240

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

38. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

Median annual wage in 2021: $72,010

Number of people employed in 2021: 665,870

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

37. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $73,060

Number of people employed in 2021: 5,220

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

36. Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians

Median annual wage in 2021: $73,580

Number of people employed in 2021: 10,900

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

35. Funeral home managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $74,000

Number of people employed in 2021: 12,710

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

34. Pile driver operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $76,260

Number of people employed in 2021: 3,760

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

33. Gambling managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $76,910

Number of people employed in 2021: 3,660

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

32. Transportation equipment electrical and electronics installers and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,250

Number of people employed in 2021: 10,710

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

31. Athletes and sports competitors

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,300

Number of people employed in 2021: 12,320

Typical education required: No formal educational credential

30. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,360

Number of people employed in 2021: 38,070

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

29. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,740

Number of people employed in 2021: 78,640

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

28. Dental hygienists

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,810

Number of people employed in 2021: 207,190

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

27. Gas plant operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $77,850

Number of people employed in 2021: 15,110

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

26. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

Median annual wage in 2021: $78,230

Number of people employed in 2021: 80,890

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

25. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $78,310

Number of people employed in 2021: 123,940

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

24. Nuclear medicine technologists

Median annual wage in 2021: $78,760

Number of people employed in 2021: 17,140

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

23. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,540

Number of people employed in 2021: 34,230

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

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

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,680

Number of people employed in 2021: 243,920

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

21. Locomotive engineers

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,740

Number of people employed in 2021: 38,980

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

20. Transportation inspectors

Median annual wage in 2021: $79,770

Number of people employed in 2021: 25,070

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

19. Postmasters and mail superintendents

Median annual wage in 2021: $80,250

Number of people employed in 2021: 12,750

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

18. Signal and track switch repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $80,570

Number of people employed in 2021: 8,090

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

17. Power plant operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $80,850

Number of people employed in 2021: 28,960

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

16. Subway and streetcar operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $81,180

Number of people employed in 2021: 10,310

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

15. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

Median annual wage in 2021: $81,640

Number of people employed in 2021: 33,490

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

12. Detectives and criminal investigators

Median annual wage in 2021: $83,640

Number of people employed in 2021: 107,890

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

11. Powerhouse, substation, and relay electrical and electronics repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $93,420

Number of people employed in 2021: 22,490

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

10. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

Median annual wage in 2021: $97,860

Number of people employed in 2021: 22,510

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

9. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

Median annual wage in 2021: $98,230

Number of people employed in 2021: 144,640

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

7. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

Median annual wage in 2021: $99,330

Number of people employed in 2021: 128,230

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

4. Nuclear power reactor operators

Median annual wage in 2021: $104,260

Number of people employed in 2021: 4,820

Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent

3. Medical dosimetrists

Median annual wage in 2021: $127,270

Number of people employed in 2021: 2,400

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award*

*This education requirement comes from the employment title “medical dosimetrists, medical records specialists, and health technologists and technicians, all other.”

2. Air traffic controllers

Median annual wage in 2021: $129,750

Number of people employed in 2021: 21,230

Typical education required: Associate’s degree

1. Theatrical and performance makeup artists

Median annual wage in 2021: $134,750

Number of people employed in 2021: 1,960

Typical education required: Postsecondary nondegree award

Method and data source

In our ranking, we included each occupation’s median annual salary and employment figures from May 2021. We also included each occupation’s minimum educational requirement.

The Highest-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require a Bachelor’s Degree

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