The 20 highest-paying jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree

A high school diploma or an associate degree can sometimes lead to high-paying work.
About a dozen jobs that typically don't need a bachelor's degree had six-figure median annual pay.
Air traffic controller is a high-paying job that doesn't usually require a bachelor's.

If you don't have a bachelor's degree but want to earn a lot, you could consider becoming an air traffic controller, a power plant operator, or a dental hygienist.

Business Insider ranked median annual wages of jobs that usually just need an associate degree, a high school diploma or the equivalent, a postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Almost a dozen jobs that typically don't need a bachelor's degree had a median annual pay in the six figures. Radiation therapists and nuclear technicians, where the typical requirement for entry is an associate degree, and power distributors and dispatchers, who typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent, had median annual wages of more than $100,000.

Below are the 20 highest-paying jobs that typically don't need a bachelor's or more advanced degree. Employment and pay estimates are for 2024, and the education needed for entry reflects 2023.

20. Models

Model, photographer, and others at a photo shoot

Median annual pay: $89,990

Typical education: No formal educational credential

Employment estimate: 5,350

19. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

Median annual pay: $92,430

Typical education: Postsecondary nondegree award

Employment estimate: 93,680

18. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

Median annual pay: $92,560

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 123,680

17. Postmasters and mail superintendents

Median annual pay: $92,730

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 13,810

16. Detectives and criminal investigators

Yellow tape that says "Crime scene - do not cross"

Median annual pay: $93,580

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 110,790

15. Dental hygienists

Median annual pay: $94,260

Typical education: Associate degree

Employment estimate: 219,070

14. Nuclear medicine technologists

Healthcare worker, technologist, looking at MRI scans

Median annual pay: $97,020

Typical education: Associate degree

Employment estimate: 16,960

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

Median annual pay: $97,540

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 34,860

12. Power plant operators

Median annual pay: $99,670

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 30,720

11. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

A worker fixing power lines in power substation

Median annual pay: $100,940

Typical education: Postsecondary nondegree award

Employment estimate: 23,040

10. Ship engineers

Median annual pay: $101,320

Typical education: Postsecondary nondegree award

Employment estimate: 8,580

9. Radiation therapists

Healthcare worker, patient, and a linear accelerator

Median annual pay: $101,990

Typical education: Associate degree

Employment estimate: 18,700

8. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

Worker at a warehouse looking at a computer

Median annual pay: $102,010

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 213,000

7. Nuclear technicians

Median annual pay: $104,240

Typical education: Associate degree

Employment estimate: 5,990

6. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

Median annual pay: $105,980

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 153,130

5. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

Median annual pay: $106,580

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 23,340

4. Power distributors and dispatchers

Median annual pay: $107,240

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 9,180

3. Nuclear power reactor operators

Median annual pay: $122,610

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Employment estimate: 5,720

2. Commercial pilots

Median annual pay: $122,670

Typical education: Postsecondary nondegree award

Employment estimate: 51,830

1. Air traffic controllers

Median annual pay: $144,580

Typical education: Associate degree

Employment estimate: 22,400

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The 20 highest-paying jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree