Highest Paying Jobs You Can Get Without a College Degree

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers have one of the more common jobs in the country, with nearly a quarter-million Americans in this line of work. Also known as branch managers or sales managers, these people supervise sales workers and work with corporate officials to boost sales figures. These managers are typically expected to have some related work experience.

Transportation inspectors are tasked with monitoring the goods that travel, either by truck, rail, or other means, and ensure the loads comply with all local, state, and federal laws. Transportation inspectors earn a median annual wage of $73,780, more than $35,000 beyond the median annual wage of all jobs. Career prospects in this field appear stable, with a projected 5.9% total growth in employment expected by 2026.

Transit and railroad police is one of several police and law enforcement careers that pays over $70,000 per year without requiring a college degree in most cases. These law enforcement officers protect transit equipment as well as transit employees and passengers. This is one of just 13 jobs that do not require a college education in which most workers earn over $74,000.

Gaming managers, also known as pit bosses, monitor casinos and other areas where legal gambling takes place. These managers are tasked with ensuring that players and employees follow all of the casino rules, and that all payouts are correct. These employees often work irregular hours, and they have one of the highest hourly wages of any position at an average of $40.99, higher than all but four other jobs that do not require a college degree.

Like other positions with managerial duties, postmasters and mail superintendents are well compensated. The median annual wage for this job is nearly $76,000. But with the advent of email and other online communications, physical letters are much less common than they used to be. By 2026, the BLS expects there will be 20.9% fewer postmasters than there were in 2016, one of the largest projected declines of any career field.