The 25 highest-paying jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree

Air traffic controllers typically need at least an associate degree. gorodenkoff/Getty Images A high school diploma or an associate degree can sometimes lead to high-paying work. About a dozen jobs that usually don't need a bachelor's degree had six-figure median annual pay in May 2025. Air traffic controllers ranked at the top, with an annual wage of $148,080. If you don't have a bachelor's degree but want to earn a lot, you could consider becoming an air traffic controller , a nuclear power reactor operator, or a diagnostic medical sonographer. To get a sense of good options for those who don't have or want a four-year degree, Business Insider ranked median annual wages of jobs that usually just need an associate degree, a high school diploma or the equivalent, a postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Based on May 2025 pay data, about a dozen jobs that typically don't need a bachelor's degree had a median annual wage in the six figures. Air traffic controllers had a median annual wage of $148,080. BLS said prospective controllers can qualify with an associate degree through an air traffic collegiate training initiative program. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers were another high-paying job, and interested job seekers may need no more than a high school diploma. Are you making six figures without student loan debt and without a bachelor's degree? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com . Below are the 25 highest-paying jobs that typically don't require a bachelor's or more advanced degree. Employment and pay estimates are for 2025, and the education needed for entry reflects 2024. 24 (tie). Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Bouillante/Getty Images Median annual pay: $92,460 Typical education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award Employment estimate: 36,850 24 (tie). Signal and track switch repairers Daniel Hanscom/Getty Images Median annual pay: $92,460 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 8,720 23. Gambling managers Grant Faint/Getty Images Median annual pay: $93,220 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 5,030 22. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers Jesse Koering/Getty Images Median annual pay: $93,530 Typical education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award Employment estimate: 99,140 21. Detectives and criminal investigators Jack Berman/Getty Images Median annual pay: $93,790 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 114,430 20. Electrical power-line installers and repairers Catherine McQueen/Getty Images Median annual pay: $95,320 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 131,070 19. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists Lu ShaoJi/Getty Images Median annual pay: $95,480 Typical education needed: Associate degree Employment estimate: 43,390 18. Diagnostic medical sonographers German Adrasti/Getty Images Median annual pay: $96,590 Typical education needed: Associate degree Employment estimate: 90,160 17. Postmasters and mail superintendents Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Median annual pay: $96,660 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 13,810 16. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers zorandimzr/Getty Images/iStockphoto Median annual pay: $96,710 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 33,160 15. Makeup artists, theatrical and performance Kosamtu/Getty Images Median annual pay: $97,150 Typical education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award Employment estimate: 2,340 14. Dental hygienists lechatnoir/Getty Images Median annual pay: $98,100 Typical education needed: Associate degree Employment estimate: 222,740 13. Nuclear medicine technologists Svitlana Hulko/Getty Images Median annual pay: $101,370 Typical education needed: Associate degree Employment estimate: 17,080 12. Power plant operators Kinwun/Getty Images/iStockphoto Median annual pay: $102,040 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 29,320 11. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay Shinyfamily/Getty Images Median annual pay: $103,020 Typical education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award Employment estimate: 20,720 10. Radiation therapists Povozniuk/Getty Images Median annual pay: $105,310 Typical education needed: Associate degree Employment estimate: 17,070 9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives Oliver Helbig/Getty Images Median annual pay: $106,040 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 154,610 8. Power distributors and dispatchers Monty Rakusen/Getty Images Median annual pay: $106,730 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 8,520 7. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers Thomas Barwick/Getty Images Median annual pay: $107,230 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 221,180 6. Ship engineers Monty Rakusen/Getty Images Median annual pay: $109,530 Typical education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award Employment estimate: 8,400 5. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers Svetlana Verbitskaya/Getty Images Median annual pay: $109,910 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 23,790 4. Nuclear technicians aimintang/Getty Images Median annual pay: $110,240 Typical education needed: Associate degree Employment estimate: 6,470 3. Nuclear power reactor operators AndreyPopov/Getty Images Median annual pay: $122,890 Typical education needed: High school diploma or equivalent Employment estimate: 5,150 2. Commercial pilots AzmanL/Getty Images Median annual pay: $123,220 Typical education needed: Postsecondary nondegree award Employment estimate: 47,630 1. Air traffic controllers gorodenkoff/Getty Images Median annual pay: $148,080 Typical education: Associate degree Employment estimate: 22,510 Read the original article on Business Insider