Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco 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 San Francisco that don’t require a college degree.
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#50. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $78,010
- Employment: 2,340
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,320
- Employment: 387,630
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#49. Private detectives and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $78,150
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,000
- Employment: 35,000
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#48. Hoist and winch operators
- Annual mean salary: $78,670
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,690
- Employment: 4,800
- Entry level education requirements: No formal educational credential
#47. Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation
- Annual mean salary: $79,020
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $39,230
- Employment: 25,780
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#46. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Annual mean salary: $79,500
- Employment: 500
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,360
- Employment: 58,930
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#45. Correctional officers and jailers
- Annual mean salary: $79,710
- Employment: 1,750
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,130
- Employment: 423,050
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#44. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Annual mean salary: $81,250
- Employment: 180
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,730
- Employment: 25,570
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#43. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $81,320
- Employment: 27,950
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,760
- Employment: 1,039,670
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#42. Ship engineers
- Annual mean salary: $81,640
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,540
- Employment: 8,410
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#41. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $81,830
- Employment: 17,740
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,344,530
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#40. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $82,480
- Employment: 14,770
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,920
- Employment: 542,690
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#39. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $82,700
- Employment: 690
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,050
- Employment: 47,320
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#38. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $86,240
- Employment: 3,890
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,210
- Employment: 405,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#37. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $86,540
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $78,220
- Employment: 13,850
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#36. Traffic technicians
- Annual mean salary: $86,560
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,590
- Employment: 7,470
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#35. Public safety telecommunicators
- Annual mean salary: $86,620
- Employment: 860
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,310
- Employment: 95,320
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#34. Boilermakers
- Annual mean salary: $86,630
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,040
- Employment: 15,820
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#33. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $87,230
- Employment: 8,010
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,800
- Employment: 442,870
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#32. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $88,480
- Employment: 4,070
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,940
- Employment: 287,960
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#31. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $89,740
- Employment: 5,520
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,550
- Employment: 485,700
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#30. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Annual mean salary: $90,580
- Employment: 2,250
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,830
- Employment: 40,370
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#29. Pile driver operators
- Annual mean salary: $91,240
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,230
- Employment: 3,540
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#28. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
- Annual mean salary: $91,850
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,580
- Employment: 44,090
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#27. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $92,720
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,660
- Employment: 129,740
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#26. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $92,930
- Employment: 5,470
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 220,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#25. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $93,680
- Employment: 1,030
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,490
- Employment: 123,730
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#24. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $94,170
- Employment: 630
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,530
- Employment: 30,020
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#23. Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
- Annual mean salary: $95,410
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,350
- Employment: 2,160
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#22. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Annual mean salary: $95,770
- Employment: 520
National
- Annual mean salary: $87,420
- Employment: 33,370
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#21. Gas plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $98,340
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,050
- Employment: 14,410
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#20. Firefighters
- Annual mean salary: $98,680
- Employment: 4,280
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,650
- Employment: 324,620
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#19. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $99,580
- Employment: 8,420
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,440
- Employment: 626,180
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#18. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $100,400
- Employment: 11,550
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,370
- Employment: 688,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#17. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $101,820
- Employment: 1,510
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,390
- Employment: 110,420
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#16. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $103,370
- Employment: 780
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,970
- Employment: 32,520
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#15. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $104,250
- Employment: 670
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,570
- Employment: 38,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#14. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $104,600
- Employment: 700
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,250
- Employment: 28,350
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#13. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $105,500
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,370
- Employment: 33,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#12. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $107,240
- Employment: 180
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,000
- Employment: 46,430
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#11. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $109,960
- Employment: 5,800
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,780
- Employment: 410,050
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#10. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $111,740
- Employment: 740
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- Employment: 111,660
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#9. Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
- Annual mean salary: $112,770
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,070
- Employment: 21,010
- Entry level education requirements: No formal educational credential

#8. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $113,260
- Employment: 190
National
- Annual mean salary: $102,870
- Employment: 37,830
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#7. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Annual mean salary: $117,480
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,990
- Employment: 14,530
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#6. Fire inspectors and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $119,380
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,730
- Employment: 13,710
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#5. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $122,100
- Employment: 700
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- Employment: 105,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $123,910
- Employment: 2,870
National
- Annual mean salary: $103,320
- Employment: 132,040
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#3. Gambling managers
- Annual mean salary: $125,300
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $84,700
- Employment: 4,450
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#2. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $166,930
- Employment: 500
National
- Annual mean salary: $82,010
- Employment: 69,590
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $180,940
- Employment: 570
National
- Annual mean salary: $94,950
- Employment: 121,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent


