
Highest paying jobs in Orlando for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Orlando 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 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). Traffic technicians
- Annual mean salary: $49,130
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,590
- Employment: 7,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($86,560)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($68,100)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($67,520)
#49 (tie). Opticians, dispensing
- Annual mean salary: $49,130
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 390
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,730
- Employment: 72,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Utica-Rome, NY ($70,730)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($68,970)
--- New Haven, CT ($66,020)

#48. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $49,760
- #85 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
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)

#47. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $49,800
- #258 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 5,620
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)

#46. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $50,590
- #137 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 790
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)

#45. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $50,940
- #139 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,570
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)

#44. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $51,010
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 980
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)

#43. Bailiffs
- Annual mean salary: $51,230
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 380
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,840
- Employment: 19,650
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($75,120)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($68,260)
--- Binghamton, NY ($66,270)

#42. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $51,660
- #196 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,270
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)
#41. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $51,750
- #264 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,140
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)

#40. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,940
- #101 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 460
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)

#39. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $53,210
- #121 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,960
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)
#38. Cargo and freight agents
- Annual mean salary: $53,250
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 820
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)
#37. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $53,490
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
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)

#36. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $53,500
- #151 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 960
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)

#35. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $53,990
- #258 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 16,000
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)
#34. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $54,400
- #216 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 16,400
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)
#33. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Annual mean salary: $55,080
- #46 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,050
- Employment: 52,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Coeur d'Alene, ID ($77,130)
--- Tyler, TX ($72,760)
--- Eugene, OR ($71,230)

#32. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $55,130
- #184 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,190
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)

#31. Hearing aid specialists
- Annual mean salary: $57,400
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,360
- Employment: 8,210
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL ($91,510)
--- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL ($77,450)
--- Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI ($75,800)

#30. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $57,570
- #170 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
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)

#29. Riggers
- Annual mean salary: $57,700
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#28. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,760
- #316 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,320
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)

#27. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Annual mean salary: $58,490
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,470
- Employment: 20,580
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Knoxville, TN ($87,490)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($76,990)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($75,550)
#26. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $59,570
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 690
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)

#25. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $59,800
- #193 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,300
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)
#24. Flight attendants
- Annual mean salary: $60,280
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,710
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,230
- Employment: 120,840
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($78,840)
--- Columbus, OH ($68,710)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($63,470)

#23. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $60,510
- #72 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
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)

#22. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $60,840
- #270 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 11,630
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)

#21. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Annual mean salary: $61,410
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,960
- Employment: 9,500
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ($69,400)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($68,270)
--- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN ($68,190)

#20. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $62,050
- #109 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
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)

#19. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $62,270
- #264 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 7,850
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)

#18. Costume attendants
- Annual mean salary: $62,350
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,970
- Employment: 7,460
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($69,390)
--- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL ($62,350)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($59,460)

#17. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $62,410
- #194 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,570
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)

#16. Medical appliance technicians
- Annual mean salary: $63,090
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,200
- Employment: 14,130
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($67,390)
--- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL ($63,090)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($57,450)

#15. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $63,990
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
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)

#14. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $64,610
- #54 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
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)

#13. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $65,320
- #240 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,400
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)

#12. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $66,200
- #146 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680
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)

#11. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $67,860
- #194 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 530
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)

#10. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $67,870
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
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)

#9. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Annual mean salary: $69,590
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $88,910
- Employment: 10,770
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($136,810)
--- Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA ($127,700)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($121,450)

#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $70,150
- #229 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,530
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. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,950
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,250
- Employment: 28,350
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($111,690)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($105,010)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($104,600)

#6. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $75,600
- #57 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,630
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)

#5. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $75,640
- #54 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,370
- Employment: 33,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,470)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($105,500)
--- Modesto, CA ($102,510)
#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $79,420
- #206 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 860
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, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $84,250
- #242 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 850
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)

#2. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $87,460
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $78,220
- Employment: 13,850
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL ($94,520)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($93,610)
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($92,110)

#1. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $88,360
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
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)



