
Highest paying jobs in Flint for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Flint for high school graduates
The average college graduate in 2019 earned $78,000 a year, while the average high school graduate takes home just $45,000, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. To put it in perspective, the average annual wage for workers in the U.S. that same year was $51,916.27.
Of course, college isn’t for everyone. There are many reasons high-school graduates may choose to not continue on to college, not the least of which being cost. Average tuition costs continue to rise each year, the exception being the 2020-2021 school year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Average tuition at a public, in-state university coming in at $9,687; tuition for out-of-state students at public schools, and for everyone at private universities, is significantly higher at $21,874 and $35,087, respectively.
Just because you decide higher education isn’t in the cards doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a lifetime of low-paying jobs. You just need to be strategic about the career you choose. Stacker compiled a list of the highest and lowest paying jobs for high school graduates in Flint, MI using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2019 annual mean wage.
As this BLS data reflects the 2019 calendar year, the wages listed do not reflect any economic changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep reading to see which jobs in your city pay the most for high school graduates.
#49 (tie). Loan interviewers and clerks
- Annual mean salary: $41,710
- #130 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,960
- Employment: 208,530
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($54,540)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($52,710)
--- Wilmington, NC ($51,390)

#49 (tie). Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $41,710
- #243 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,660
- Employment: 129,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Gainesville, GA ($93,860)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,720)
--- Tulsa, OK ($92,380)

#48. Psychiatric aides
- Annual mean salary: $41,750
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $32,590
- Employment: 55,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Utica-Rome, NY ($48,280)
--- Rochester, NY ($45,890)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($45,010)

#47. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $41,890
- #280 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 490
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,120
- Employment: 383,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Manchester, NH ($69,820)
--- Anchorage, AK ($67,000)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($66,940)

#46. Procurement clerks
- Annual mean salary: $42,140
- #139 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,980
- Employment: 66,030
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($55,560)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($54,200)
--- Worcester, MA-CT ($53,520)
#45. Public safety telecommunicators
- Annual mean salary: $42,480
- #122 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,310
- Employment: 95,320
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($95,880)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($86,620)
--- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ($75,570)
#44. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Annual mean salary: $42,970
- #200 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,390
- Employment: 142,700
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,210)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($63,280)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($60,950)

#43. Self-enrichment teachers
- Annual mean salary: $43,590
- #106 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 350
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,120
- Employment: 252,780
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($65,570)
--- Warner Robins, GA ($65,340)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($64,710)

#42. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners
- Annual mean salary: $43,660
- #59 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,760
- Employment: 29,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Joplin, MO ($66,990)
--- Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA ($63,800)
--- Racine, WI ($61,580)
#41. Insurance claims and policy processing clerks
- Annual mean salary: $43,760
- #72 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,280
- Employment: 257,000
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Eugene, OR ($57,510)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($55,730)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($54,620)

#40. New accounts clerks
- Annual mean salary: $44,310
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,490
- Employment: 43,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bismarck, ND ($52,690)
--- Greensboro-High Point, NC ($49,660)
--- Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ($47,050)
#39. Transportation security screeners
- Annual mean salary: $44,710
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,310
- Employment: 46,730
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($53,580)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($51,100)
--- Bismarck, ND ($50,930)

#38. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $44,810
- #301 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,840
- Employment: 147,800
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($80,010)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($77,660)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,510)

#37. Highway maintenance workers
- Annual mean salary: $46,150
- #99 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,410
- Employment: 150,860
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($70,020)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($66,540)
--- Anchorage, AK ($65,110)
#36. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
- Annual mean salary: $46,540
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $36,390
- Employment: 188,570
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($56,770)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,180)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($51,820)

#35. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $46,670
- #155 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 730
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,850
- Employment: 734,170
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($78,650)
--- Salinas, CA ($74,350)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($74,280)
#34. Community health workers
- Annual mean salary: $46,830
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,390
- Employment: 58,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Manchester, NH ($72,610)
--- Trenton, NJ ($67,000)
--- Savannah, GA ($65,130)

#33. Security and fire alarm systems installers
- Annual mean salary: $47,470
- #93 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,210
- Employment: 71,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($67,650)
--- Worcester, MA-CT ($66,170)
--- Anchorage, AK ($65,830)
#32. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $48,870
- #314 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,920
- Employment: 542,690
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($85,420)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($82,480)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($82,240)

#31. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $50,220
- #118 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,360
- Employment: 266,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($69,910)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($68,840)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($67,900)

#30. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $50,580
- #123 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,640
- Employment: 370,380
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($73,910)
--- Parkersburg-Vienna, WV ($68,320)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($67,050)

#29. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $51,500
- #129 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,490
- Employment: 123,730
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,680)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($87,660)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,560)
#28. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $51,800
- #291 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,170
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,130
- Employment: 1,487,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($73,300)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($73,050)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,190)
#27. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Annual mean salary: $52,300
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,110
- Employment: 139,780
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,890)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($68,450)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($64,900)

#26. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,450
- #89 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 500
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,180
- Employment: 339,650
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,610)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,220)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($54,930)

#25. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $53,000
- #109 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,310
- Employment: 128,190
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($91,770)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($84,240)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($83,490)

#24. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $53,540
- #207 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,390
- Employment: 110,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($101,820)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($101,000)
--- Madera, CA ($95,910)

#23. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $54,030
- #166 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,320
- Employment: 387,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($84,670)
--- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA ($82,010)
--- Manhattan, KS ($81,810)

#22. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $54,630
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,610
- Employment: 81,170
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Flagstaff, AZ ($56,540)
--- Florence, SC ($56,080)
--- Monroe, MI ($55,650)

#21. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $54,730
- #242 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 550
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,760
- Employment: 1,039,670
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC ($94,480)
--- Walla Walla, WA ($88,980)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($88,360)

#20. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $56,700
- #120 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,210
- Employment: 405,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($92,640)
--- Kankakee, IL ($87,470)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($86,240)
#19. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $56,830
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 670
National
- Annual mean salary: $37,310
- Employment: 195,040
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Flint, MI ($56,830)
--- Mobile, AL ($50,440)
--- Modesto, CA ($48,630)

#18. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $58,180
- #44 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,340
- Employment: 103,580
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($77,450)
--- Visalia-Porterville, CA ($72,980)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($71,740)

#17. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $62,400
- #126 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 220,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Charleston-North Charleston, SC ($110,010)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($107,190)
--- San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PR ($103,530)
#16. Home appliance repairers
- Annual mean salary: $62,830
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,400
- Employment: 31,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($62,900)
--- Flint, MI ($62,830)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($60,310)

#15. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Annual mean salary: $63,480
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,470
- Employment: 60,650
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($87,010)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,640)
--- Pittsfield, MA ($79,000)
#14. Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $64,850
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 660
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,410
- Employment: 146,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Flint, MI ($64,850)
--- Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA ($59,620)
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($56,580)

#13. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $66,090
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,480
- Employment: 131,300
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($96,050)
--- Pittsfield, MA ($83,850)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($81,270)

#12. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $67,080
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 810
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,370
- Employment: 688,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($100,400)
--- Trenton, NJ ($84,950)
--- Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA ($84,810)

#11. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $67,580
- #109 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 590
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,220
- Employment: 631,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($100,350)
--- Longview, WA ($96,560)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($95,410)

#10. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $69,220
- #136 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,440
- Employment: 626,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($108,140)
--- Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA ($104,640)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($99,580)

#9. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,600
- #135 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 430
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,550
- Employment: 485,700
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,180)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($89,740)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($88,950)

#8. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $70,700
- #39 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,800
- Employment: 442,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($89,470)
--- Kankakee, IL ($88,790)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($87,230)

#7. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $72,030
- #96 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,780
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,344,530
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Fe, NM ($94,880)
--- Kingston, NY ($91,660)
--- Portsmouth, NH-ME ($90,850)

#6. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $74,250
- #55 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 390
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,780
- Employment: 410,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,960)
--- New Bedford, MA ($103,050)
--- Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($97,130)

#5. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $77,200
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,940
- Employment: 287,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($103,440)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($88,480)
--- Hammond, LA ($86,880)
#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $80,200
- #202 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $94,950
- Employment: 121,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($189,800)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($180,940)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($178,670)

#3. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $80,310
- #133 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,180
- Employment: 249,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($116,640)
--- Raleigh, NC ($112,570)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($110,260)

#2. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $86,360
- #81 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- Employment: 105,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($125,850)
--- Anchorage, AK ($122,370)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($122,130)
#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $127,600
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $103,320
- Employment: 132,040
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO ($151,260)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($144,220)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($139,860)


