Highest-paying jobs in Houston that don't require a college degree

Written by:
January 4, 2021
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock

Highest-paying jobs in Houston 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 Houston that don’t require a college degree.

You may also like: 100 Highest paying jobs in America

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Canva

#50. Traffic technicians

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $58,760
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $52,590
- Employment: 7,470
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
2 / 50
DenisKlimov // Shutterstock

#49. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $58,940
- Employment: 220

National
- Annual mean salary: $57,960
- Employment: 9,500
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
3 / 50
Shift Drive // Shutterstock

#48. Computer user support specialists

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,200
- Employment: 14,540

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,550
- Employment: 647,330
- Entry level education requirements: Some college, no degree
4 / 50
Peter Braakmann // Shutterstock

#47. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,250
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $52,520
- Employment: 22,560
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
5 / 50
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

#46. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,350
- Employment: 700

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,970
- Employment: 32,520
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
6 / 50
Brian S. Hagberg // Wikimedia Commons

#45. Self-enrichment teachers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,360
- Employment: 2,710

National
- Annual mean salary: $46,120
- Employment: 252,780
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
7 / 50
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

#44. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,570
- Employment: 2,640

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- Employment: 111,660
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
8 / 50
ryanivy308 // Pixabay

#43. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,660
- Employment: 1,780

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,360
- Employment: 58,930
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
9 / 50
Canva

#42. Rotary drill operators, oil and gas

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $59,760
- Employment: 3,240

National
- Annual mean salary: $57,070
- Employment: 21,010
- Entry level education requirements: No formal educational credential
10 / 50
GaudiLab // Shutterstock

#41. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $60,070
- Employment: 28,090

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,130
- Employment: 1,487,870
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
11 / 50
Canva

#40. Boilermakers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $60,500
- Employment: 2,250

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,040
- Employment: 15,820
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
12 / 50
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#39. Advertising sales agents

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $60,640
- Employment: 1,800

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,660
- Employment: 129,740
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
13 / 50
Syda Productions // Shutterstock

#38. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $61,780
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $80,360
- Employment: 5,060
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
14 / 50
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

#37. Food service managers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $62,030
- Employment: 4,020

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,820
- Employment: 235,470
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
15 / 50
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#36. Insurance sales agents

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $62,220
- Employment: 6,240

National
- Annual mean salary: $67,780
- Employment: 410,050
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
16 / 50
Canva

#35. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $62,890
- Employment: 510

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,730
- Employment: 25,570
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
17 / 50
Unsplash

#34. Choreographers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $62,970
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $53,590
- Employment: 4,630
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
18 / 50
Syda Productions // Shutterstock

#33. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $63,900
- Employment: 8,910

National
- Annual mean salary: $62,920
- Employment: 542,690
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
19 / 50
Tim Goode/PA Images // Getty Images

#32. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $63,960
- Employment: 27,280

National
- Annual mean salary: $66,760
- Employment: 1,039,670
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
20 / 50
SritanaN // Shutterstock

#31. Industrial machinery mechanics

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $64,550
- Employment: 13,730

National
- Annual mean salary: $55,320
- Employment: 387,630
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
21 / 50
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#30. Insurance appraisers, auto damage

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $64,630
- Employment: 190

National
- Annual mean salary: $66,240
- Employment: 13,750
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
22 / 50
Canva

#29. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $65,850
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,990
- Employment: 14,530
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
23 / 50
Pandu Agus Wismoyo // Unsplash

#28. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $66,560
- Employment: 3,670

National
- Annual mean salary: $67,110
- Employment: 133,310
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
24 / 50
Pressmaster // Shutterstock

#27. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $67,270
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $52,050
- Employment: 52,890
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
25 / 50
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

#26. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $67,540
- Employment: 2,560

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,670
- Employment: 120,900
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
26 / 50
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock

#25. Gas plant operators

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $69,020
- Employment: 2,260

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,050
- Employment: 14,410
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
27 / 50
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#24. Lodging managers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $69,430
- Employment: 570

National
- Annual mean salary: $63,570
- Employment: 38,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
28 / 50
Canva

#23. Construction and building inspectors

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $69,690
- Employment: 4,060

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,390
- Employment: 110,420
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
29 / 50
Canva

#22. Chemical plant and system operators

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $71,510
- Employment: 3,920

National
- Annual mean salary: $62,710
- Employment: 28,840
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
30 / 50
Canva

#21. Fire inspectors and investigators

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 280

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,730
- Employment: 13,710
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
31 / 50
sculpies // Shutterstock

#20. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $72,000
- Employment: 22,550

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,440
- Employment: 626,180
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
32 / 50
4 PM production // Shutterstock

#19. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $73,060
- Employment: 11,010

National
- Annual mean salary: $70,550
- Employment: 485,700
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
33 / 50
First Class Photography // Shutterstock

#18. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $73,880
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,460
- Employment: 42,940
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
34 / 50
Canva

#17. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $74,500
- Employment: 580

National
- Annual mean salary: $83,250
- Employment: 28,350
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
35 / 50
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#16. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $74,620
- Employment: 3,560

National
- Annual mean salary: $68,940
- Employment: 287,960
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
36 / 50
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock

#15. Power distributors and dispatchers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $75,610
- Employment: 110

National
- Annual mean salary: $88,910
- Employment: 10,770
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
37 / 50
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

#14. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $77,030
- Employment: 14,880

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,220
- Employment: 631,100
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
38 / 50
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

#13. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $77,900
- Employment: 31,460

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,344,530
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
39 / 50
goodluz // Shutterstock

#12. Real estate sales agents

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $78,560
- Employment: 4,970

National
- Annual mean salary: $62,060
- Employment: 162,330
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
40 / 50
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

#11. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $78,720
- Employment: 5,040

National
- Annual mean salary: $73,830
- Employment: 40,370
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
41 / 50
U.S. Air Force

#10. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $80,700
- Employment: 710

National
- Annual mean salary: $82,010
- Employment: 69,590
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
42 / 50
Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

#9. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $81,280
- Employment: 1,510

National
- Annual mean salary: $87,420
- Employment: 33,370
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
43 / 50
Canva

#8. Transportation inspectors

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $85,420
- Employment: 1,280

National
- Annual mean salary: $77,530
- Employment: 30,020
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
44 / 50
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

#7. Postmasters and mail superintendents

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $85,700
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $78,220
- Employment: 13,850
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
45 / 50
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

#6. Property, real estate, and community association managers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $87,390
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 220,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
46 / 50
curraheeshutter // Shutterstock

#5. Ship engineers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $89,820
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $79,540
- Employment: 8,410
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
47 / 50
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

#4. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $92,970
- Employment: 6,410

National
- Annual mean salary: $86,180
- Employment: 249,090
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
48 / 50
Prath // Shutterstock

#3. Detectives and criminal investigators

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $95,340
- Employment: 1,900

National
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- Employment: 105,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
49 / 50
Canva

#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $97,200
- Employment: 1,370

National
- Annual mean salary: $94,950
- Employment: 121,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
50 / 50
Kelly Ogden // Wikimedia Commons

#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Annual mean salary: $115,580
- Employment: 3,650

National
- Annual mean salary: $103,320
- Employment: 132,040
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

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