
Highest paying jobs in Mobile for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Mobile 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 Mobile, 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. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $45,950
- #151 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,920
- Employment: 52,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($91,020)
--- Glens Falls, NY ($86,890)
--- Madison, WI ($85,750)

#49. Riggers
- Annual mean salary: $45,980
- #46 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,420
- Employment: 23,000
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,340)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($78,220)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($73,610)

#48. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $45,990
- #209 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)

#47. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $47,680
- #173 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 540
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)

#46. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $47,870
- #288 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,900
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)
#45. Motorboat mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $48,080
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,440
- Employment: 22,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($59,490)
--- Barnstable Town, MA ($58,270)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($57,680)

#44. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $48,200
- #247 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410
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)
#43. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $48,270
- #86 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,500
- Employment: 53,030
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($82,420)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($78,050)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($77,870)
#42. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $48,500
- #106 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,390
- Employment: 144,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($79,950)
--- Napa, CA ($73,930)
--- Raleigh, NC ($69,030)

#41. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $48,700
- #249 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,190
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)

#40. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $49,340
- #159 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)

#39. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $49,880
- #252 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)

#38. Security and fire alarm systems installers
- Annual mean salary: $49,960
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)

#37. Brokerage clerks
- Annual mean salary: $50,040
- #79 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)

#36. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $50,150
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,430
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,190
- Employment: 410,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Wheeling, WV-OH ($85,310)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($74,280)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($71,220)

#35. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $50,210
- #133 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
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)

#34. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $50,280
- #229 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)

#33. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $50,300
- #87 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)

#32. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $50,410
- #83 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,170
- Employment: 76,570
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Trenton, NJ ($92,750)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($90,150)
--- Rockford, IL ($86,870)
#31. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $50,440
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
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)
#30. Cargo and freight agents
- Annual mean salary: $50,570
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,770
- Employment: 95,810
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bend-Redmond, OR ($71,990)
--- Erie, PA ($66,030)
--- New Haven, CT ($61,930)

#29. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $51,270
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 550
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)

#28. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,420
- #145 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#27. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $51,510
- #215 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410
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)

#26. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $51,640
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,530
- Employment: 45,480
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Reading, PA ($82,410)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,220)
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($81,920)

#25. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $53,080
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 690
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)

#24. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $53,660
- #112 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,570
- Employment: 38,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($110,620)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($104,250)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($97,090)

#23. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $53,820
- #81 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)
#22. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $53,910
- #235 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,090
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)

#21. Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $54,320
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,280
- Employment: 17,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Rockford, IL ($63,470)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($59,360)
--- Salt Lake City, UT ($57,410)

#20. Boilermakers
- Annual mean salary: $54,700
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)

#19. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $54,970
- #240 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 960
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)

#18. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Annual mean salary: $57,810
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,830
- Employment: 40,370
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($91,500)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,580)
--- Anchorage, AK ($90,400)

#17. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $60,430
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,540
- Employment: 87,120
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($78,670)
--- Hattiesburg, MS ($70,540)
--- Tuscaloosa, AL ($69,990)
#16. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $60,460
- #90 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
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)

#15. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $61,760
- #47 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,130
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)

#14. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $64,080
- #88 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
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)

#13. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $65,290
- #202 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,340
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)

#12. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $65,480
- #234 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 950
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)

#11. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $65,850
- #152 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 690
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)

#10. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $66,950
- #170 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,180
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)

#9. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $73,000
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,040
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)

#8. Chemical plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $73,260
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 650
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,710
- Employment: 28,840
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($86,690)
--- Corpus Christi, TX ($85,080)
--- Mobile, AL ($73,260)

#7. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $74,680
- #91 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#6. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $74,930
- #151 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)

#5. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $80,460
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
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)
#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $88,020
- #147 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $88,450
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,530
- Employment: 30,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Portland-South Portland, ME ($120,180)
--- Anchorage, AK ($105,450)
--- Oklahoma City, OK ($101,660)

#2. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $89,360
- #68 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
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)
#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $101,560
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)


