
Highest paying jobs in Huntsville for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Huntsville 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 Huntsville, AL 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.
#50. Transportation security screeners
- Annual mean salary: $42,130
- #35 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)

#49. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $42,170
- #186 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,400
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,000
- Employment: 576,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($79,700)
--- Anchorage, AK ($78,400)
--- Odessa, TX ($75,850)

#48. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Annual mean salary: $42,800
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,450
- Employment: 72,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Florence, SC ($83,250)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($71,680)
--- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA ($68,380)
#47. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Annual mean salary: $43,030
- #103 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,170
- Employment: 151,700
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($71,600)
--- Manchester, NH ($59,700)
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($59,540)

#46. Correctional officers and jailers
- Annual mean salary: $43,370
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,130
- Employment: 423,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Stockton-Lodi, CA ($81,280)
--- Bakersfield, CA ($79,830)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($79,710)

#45. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $43,720
- #196 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)

#44. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $43,870
- #252 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 550
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)

#43. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $44,360
- #215 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680
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)
#42. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
- Annual mean salary: $44,890
- #101 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,160
- Employment: 155,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Merced, CA ($65,070)
--- New Haven, CT ($64,530)
--- Lima, OH ($61,580)

#41. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $45,140
- #205 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#40. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $45,450
- #265 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630
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)

#39. Procurement clerks
- Annual mean salary: $45,630
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)

#38. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $46,450
- #323 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 480
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)

#37. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $46,480
- #99 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,900
- Employment: 168,140
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,580)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($74,320)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($69,990)
#36. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $47,180
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,950
- Employment: 23,590
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fargo, ND-MN ($75,770)
--- Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL ($65,770)
--- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($58,540)

#35. Self-enrichment teachers
- Annual mean salary: $47,400
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
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)

#34. Brokerage clerks
- Annual mean salary: $47,680
- #94 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,190
- Employment: 47,990
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($69,070)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($65,450)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($63,270)

#33. Security and fire alarm systems installers
- Annual mean salary: $48,180
- #86 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $48,490
- #157 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360
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)

#31. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $48,600
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,050
- Employment: 47,320
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($82,700)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($81,740)
--- Eugene, OR ($81,510)

#30. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $48,960
- #271 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,080
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)

#29. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $49,460
- #231 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- Employment: 111,660
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Redding, CA ($116,900)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($111,740)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,670)

#28. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $49,550
- #233 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 800
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)

#27. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $50,930
- #284 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,820
- Employment: 235,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Ocean City, NJ ($91,790)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($90,830)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($89,760)

#26. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,280
- #152 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)

#25. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $52,090
- #121 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
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)

#24. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,340
- #103 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 510
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)
#23. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $53,470
- #243 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,380
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)

#22. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $53,600
- #120 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
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)

#21. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $53,630
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,190
- Employment: 102,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New Haven, CT ($55,700)
--- Wausau, WI ($55,630)
--- Lansing-East Lansing, MI ($54,450)

#20. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $54,060
- #144 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)

#19. Earth drillers, except oil and gas; and explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
- Annual mean salary: $54,630
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,890
- Employment: 24,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($79,010)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($66,250)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($65,570)

#18. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $54,680
- #154 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 700
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)

#17. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $59,340
- #298 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,930
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)

#16. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $59,510
- #129 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)
#15. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $59,790
- #99 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 480
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)

#14. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $60,590
- #291 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 830
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)

#13. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $60,600
- #139 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,290
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)

#12. Boilermakers
- Annual mean salary: $60,850
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,040
- Employment: 15,820
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($88,500)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($86,630)
--- Pittsburgh, PA ($85,140)

#11. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $65,020
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,000
- Employment: 46,430
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($111,530)
--- Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ ($109,710)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($108,460)

#10. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $65,560
- #146 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,290
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)

#9. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $67,450
- #195 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 740
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. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $71,010
- #221 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 350
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)

#7. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $74,000
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#6. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $76,220
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,060
- Employment: 162,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($103,700)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,250)
--- Midland, TX ($92,340)

#5. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $78,160
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $78,940
- #86 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $102,870
- Employment: 37,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($164,720)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($139,920)
--- Jackson, MS ($136,010)
#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $80,200
- #202 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#2. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $94,920
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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: $99,270
- #116 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)



