Highest-paying jobs in Denver that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in Denver that don't require a college degree
From the moment they first set foot on campus, today's high-school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, coaches—the list goes on and on. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students' future careers, it's not necessary for all fields—something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.
To find the highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don't require higher education. All professions that listed a high-school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary non-degree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn't list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2019 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to discover the highest-paying jobs in Denver that don’t require a college degree.
You may also like: 100 Highest paying jobs in America
#50. Meter readers, utilities
- Annual mean salary: $60,630
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,250
- Employment: 30,450
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#49. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Annual mean salary: $60,730
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,960
- Employment: 9,500
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#48. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,030
- Employment: 1,110
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,340
- Employment: 103,580
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#47. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,150
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,520
- Employment: 22,560
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#46. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Annual mean salary: $61,350
- Employment: 890
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,360
- Employment: 58,930
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#45. Real estate brokers
- Annual mean salary: $61,990
- Employment: 2,410
National
- Annual mean salary: $81,450
- Employment: 42,730
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#44. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $62,390
- Employment: 9,250
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,550
- Employment: 647,330
- Entry level education requirements: Some college, no degree

#43. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Annual mean salary: $62,790
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,470
- Employment: 20,580
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#42. Rail car repairers
- Annual mean salary: $62,970
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,810
- Employment: 25,930
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#41. Private detectives and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $63,240
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,000
- Employment: 35,000
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#40. Bailiffs
- Annual mean salary: $64,810
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,840
- Employment: 19,650
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#39. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $66,090
- Employment: 12,880
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,130
- Employment: 1,487,870
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#38. Airfield operations specialists
- Annual mean salary: $66,120
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,620
- Employment: 10,680
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#37. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $66,820
- Employment: 3,070
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,560
- Employment: 208,480
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#36. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Annual mean salary: $67,870
- Employment: 800
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,050
- Employment: 52,890
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#35. Skincare specialists
- Annual mean salary: $68,590
- Employment: 550
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,970
- Employment: 56,660
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#34. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $68,750
- Employment: 3,710
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,220
- Employment: 631,100
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#33. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Annual mean salary: $69,270
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,990
- Employment: 14,530
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#32. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $69,890
- Employment: 5,160
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,780
- Employment: 410,050
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#31. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $71,010
- Employment: 1,960
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,390
- Employment: 110,420
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#30. Firefighters
- Annual mean salary: $73,320
- Employment: 2,570
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,650
- Employment: 324,620
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#29. Wellhead pumpers
- Annual mean salary: $73,530
- Employment: 400
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,080
- Employment: 12,970
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#28. Wind turbine service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $73,830
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,700
- Employment: 5,960
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#27. Gas plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $74,140
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,050
- Employment: 14,410
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#26. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $74,990
- Employment: 5,510
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,550
- Employment: 485,700
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#25. Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
- Annual mean salary: $75,520
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,070
- Employment: 21,010
- Entry level education requirements: No formal educational credential

#24. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $75,620
- Employment: 3,720
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,940
- Employment: 287,960
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#23. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $76,290
- Employment: 9,300
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,440
- Employment: 626,180
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#22. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $78,880
- Employment: 21,610
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,760
- Employment: 1,039,670
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#21. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $79,900
- Employment: 330
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,530
- Employment: 30,020
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#20. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $79,930
- Employment: 990
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- Employment: 111,660
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#19. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $80,050
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $78,220
- Employment: 13,850
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#18. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $80,620
- Employment: 1,310
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,110
- Employment: 133,310
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#17. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $80,800
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,000
- Employment: 46,430
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#16. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $82,450
- Employment: 2,360
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,060
- Employment: 162,330
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#15. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $82,800
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,370
- Employment: 33,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#14. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $84,010
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,250
- Employment: 28,350
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#13. Fire inspectors and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $84,040
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,730
- Employment: 13,710
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#12. Gambling managers
- Annual mean salary: $84,270
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $84,700
- Employment: 4,450
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#11. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $86,210
- Employment: 18,920
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,344,530
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#10. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Annual mean salary: $88,120
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $88,910
- Employment: 10,770
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#9. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Annual mean salary: $89,230
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,830
- Employment: 40,370
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#8. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $96,410
- Employment: 1,220
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- Employment: 105,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#7. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $98,570
- Employment: 1,010
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 220,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#6. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $103,270
- Employment: 4,480
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,180
- Employment: 249,090
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#5. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $103,500
- Employment: 630
National
- Annual mean salary: $82,010
- Employment: 69,590
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#4. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $107,370
- Employment: 530
National
- Annual mean salary: $102,870
- Employment: 37,830
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $116,920
- Employment: 760
National
- Annual mean salary: $94,950
- Employment: 121,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $129,190
- Employment: 890
National
- Annual mean salary: $103,320
- Employment: 132,040
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#1. Athletes and sports competitors
- Annual mean salary: $172,760
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $93,140
- Employment: 11,330
- Entry level education requirements: No formal educational credential



