Highest-paying jobs in Memphis that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in Memphis 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 Memphis that don’t require a college degree.
You may also like: 100 Highest paying jobs in America
#50. Motorboat mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $50,950
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,440
- Employment: 22,940
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#49. Dental laboratory technicians
- Annual mean salary: $51,050
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,330
- Employment: 34,460
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#48. Community health workers
- Annual mean salary: $51,130
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,390
- Employment: 58,950
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#47. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,330
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,610
- Employment: 81,170
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#46. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $51,400
- Employment: 810
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,190
- Employment: 102,390
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#45. Medical appliance technicians
- Annual mean salary: $52,060
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,200
- Employment: 14,130
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#44. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,220
- Employment: 1,300
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,180
- Employment: 339,650
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#43. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Annual mean salary: $52,440
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,360
- Employment: 58,930
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#42. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $52,810
- Employment: 440
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,050
- Employment: 47,320
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#41. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $52,960
- Employment: 1,360
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,800
- Employment: 442,870
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#40. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $53,090
- Employment: 290
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,170
- Employment: 76,570
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#39. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $53,400
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,540
- Employment: 87,120
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#38. Tax preparers
- Annual mean salary: $54,300
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,550
- Employment: 66,670
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#37. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $54,440
- Employment: 1,020
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 220,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#36. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $54,820
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,390
- Employment: 110,420
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#35. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $55,250
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,970
- Employment: 32,520
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#34. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $55,920
- Employment: 7,310
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,130
- Employment: 1,487,870
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#33. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $56,230
- Employment: 1,330
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,560
- Employment: 208,480
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#32. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Annual mean salary: $57,190
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,730
- Employment: 25,570
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#31. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $57,290
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,920
- Employment: 52,270
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#30. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $57,310
- Employment: 1,000
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,920
- Employment: 542,690
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#29. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
- Annual mean salary: $57,770
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,390
- Employment: 123,660
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#28. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $57,790
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,000
- Employment: 46,430
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#27. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $57,940
- Employment: 490
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,060
- Employment: 162,330
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#26. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $58,320
- Employment: 310
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,660
- Employment: 129,740
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#25. Tank car, truck, and ship loaders
- Annual mean salary: $58,510
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,580
- Employment: 11,620
- Entry level education requirements: No formal educational credential

#24. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $59,490
- Employment: 2,910
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,220
- Employment: 631,100
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#23. Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $59,940
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,130
- Employment: 25,590
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#22. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $60,580
- Employment: 4,020
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,760
- Employment: 1,039,670
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#21. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $61,200
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,940
- Employment: 287,960
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#20. Earth drillers, except oil and gas; and explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
- Annual mean salary: $61,240
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,890
- Employment: 24,940
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#19. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,260
- Employment: 1,690
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,440
- Employment: 626,180
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#18. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $61,550
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,570
- Employment: 38,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#17. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $61,630
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- Employment: 111,660
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#16. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $63,490
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,110
- Employment: 133,310
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#15. Fire inspectors and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $65,880
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,730
- Employment: 13,710
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#14. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $68,410
- Employment: 1,920
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,550
- Employment: 485,700
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#13. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $70,050
- Employment: 1,070
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,780
- Employment: 410,050
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#12. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $72,170
- Employment: 520
National
- Annual mean salary: $82,010
- Employment: 69,590
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#11. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $72,650
- Employment: 1,090
National
- Annual mean salary: $94,950
- Employment: 121,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#10. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $72,780
- Employment: 3,490
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,344,530
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#9. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Annual mean salary: $72,940
- Employment: 250
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,830
- Employment: 40,370
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#8. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Annual mean salary: $73,440
- Employment: 1,360
National
- Annual mean salary: $87,420
- Employment: 33,370
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#7. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $74,920
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- Employment: 105,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#6. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $78,170
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,370
- Employment: 33,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#5. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $81,520
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $78,220
- Employment: 13,850
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#4. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $89,830
- Employment: 1,370
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,180
- Employment: 249,090
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $91,430
- Employment: 1,130
National
- Annual mean salary: $103,320
- Employment: 132,040
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#2. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $94,910
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,530
- Employment: 30,020
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#1. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $117,910
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $102,870
- Employment: 37,830
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent



