9 jobs that pay $100k with no degree required
Across the 830 occupations the federal government publishes wages for, 492 require no college degree to enter, and 9 of those pay a median of $100,000 or more. Another 28 clear $100,000 for their top quarter of earners while paying less in the middle. Two things the headline cannot say: 7 of the 9 also require years of prior experience or an apprenticeship, and none of this measures what the people already in these jobs studied. Every figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimate, sorted.
Why every other list is longer than this one
Most pages answering this question quote the top of an occupation's wage range and call it the pay. By the 90th percentile, 99 no-degree occupations reach $100,000, which is how a list gets to twenty or thirty entries. That figure is real: it covers 14,719,280 jobs, 13.9% of all no-degree employment. It just describes the best-paid tenth of people in the job, usually after a decade, in an expensive metro, with overtime.
This page leads with the median instead, because the median is the person in the middle. Both tiers are here and both are labeled.
And “without a degree” is narrower than it sounds
It means one thing: BLS assigns the occupation an entry-level education below an associate's degree. It does not mean you can start there. In the same BLS dataset, 4 of the nine require prior work experience in a related occupation and 3 require an apprenticeship or long-term on-the-job training. Those gates are marked in orange on every table below.
It also does not mean the people in these jobs lack degrees. BLS assigns the credential an occupation needs; it does not measure what its workers hold. Actual educational attainment is published separately, from the Current Population Survey, and is not in the dataset behind this page. Read every row as a statement about the job, never about the people in it.
The 9 occupations where the typical worker clears $100k
Median annual wage at or above $100,000, with a typical entry-level education below an associate's degree. Ranked by median. For context the median across all US occupations is $50,980.
| # | Occupation | Median payTypical worker | 25th to 75th | Top 10%90th percentile | Jobs | OpeningsPer year | Growth2024-34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial Pilots Postsecondary nondegree award53-2012 | $123,220 | $84,540 – $190,440 | $266,620 | 47,630 | 6,600 | +5.1% |
| 2 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators High school diploma or equivalentLong-term training51-8011 | $122,890 | $109,440 – $130,490 | $149,310 | 5,150 | 400 | -15.3% |
| 3 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers High school diploma or equivalentApprenticeship47-4021 | $109,910 | $79,290 – $135,720 | $158,890 | 23,790 | 2,000 | +5.0% |
| 4 | Ship Engineers Postsecondary nondegree awardLess than 5 years experience first53-5031 | $109,530 | $82,130 – $135,760 | $165,490 | 8,400 | 1,100 | +1.6% |
| 5 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers High school diploma or equivalent5 years or more experience first11-3071 | $107,230 | $82,440 – $146,770 | $194,900 | 221,180 | 18,500 | +6.1% |
| 6 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers High school diploma or equivalent51-8012 | $106,730 | $90,200 – $130,940 | $154,270 | 8,520 | — | — |
| 7 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first33-1012 | $106,040 | $81,860 – $132,620 | $165,110 | 154,610 | 10,900 | +2.9% |
| 8 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay Postsecondary nondegree awardLess than 5 years experience first49-2095 | $103,020 | $81,860 – $118,870 | $129,920 | 20,720 | 2,000 | +5.5% |
| 9 | Power Plant Operators High school diploma or equivalentLong-term training51-8013 | $102,040 | $79,690 – $119,080 | $131,940 | 29,320 | 2,500 | -11.2% |
Where the top quarter clears $100k
The median in these occupations is below $100,000, but the 75th percentile is at or above it. Read this as a ceiling you can work toward, not a starting salary. Ranked by the 75th percentile.
| # | Occupation | Top quarter75th percentile | Median pay | Top 10%90th percentile | Jobs | OpeningsPer year | Growth2024-34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance Postsecondary nondegree award39-5091 | $143,230 | $97,150 | $167,470 | 2,340 | 1,100 | +8.1% |
| 2 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Postsecondary nondegree awardLess than 5 years experience first53-5021 | $127,180 | $92,460 | $170,640 | 36,850 | 4,300 | +0.5% |
| 3 | Gambling Managers High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first11-9071 | $122,990 | $93,220 | $164,350 | 5,030 | 600 | +1.2% |
| 4 | First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first41-1012 | $122,050 | $87,520 | $164,070 | 214,390 | 24,800 | 0.0% |
| 5 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first33-3021 | $120,520 | $93,790 | $160,540 | 114,430 | 7,800 | -0.7% |
| 6 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers Postsecondary nondegree awardLess than 5 years experience first33-1021 | $119,500 | $93,530 | $140,010 | 99,140 | 6,500 | +3.4% |
| 7 | Transit and Railroad Police High school diploma or equivalent33-3052 | $119,290 | $90,230 | $125,910 | 4,390 | 200 | +3.0% |
| 8 | Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers High school diploma or equivalent5 years or more experience first11-9013 | $118,860 | $89,900 | $160,020 | 6,500 | 85,500 | -1.3% |
| 9 | Artists and Related Workers, All Other No formal educational credentialLong-term training27-1019 | $115,150 | $71,240 | $136,660 | 6,930 | 1,200 | +0.8% |
| 10 | Terrazzo Workers and Finishers High school diploma or equivalentApprenticeship47-2053 | $114,780 | $76,170 | $126,130 | 1,180 | 100 | -11.1% |
| 11 | Athletes and Sports Competitors No formal educational credentialLong-term training27-2021 | $109,880 | $66,710 | $742,310 | 15,070 | 2,100 | +5.5% |
| 12 | Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers High school diploma or equivalentLong-term training49-9051 | $109,740 | $95,320 | $128,690 | 131,070 | 10,700 | +6.6% |
| 13 | Transportation Inspectors High school diploma or equivalent53-6051 | $108,890 | $92,100 | $138,670 | 24,500 | — | — |
| 14 | Media and Communication Equipment Workers, All Other High school diploma or equivalent27-4099 | $106,780 | $70,720 | $135,470 | 12,450 | — | — |
| 15 | Pile Driver Operators High school diploma or equivalent47-2072 | $106,430 | $73,300 | $124,600 | 2,310 | 300 | +4.3% |
| 16 | Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers High school diploma or equivalent51-8093 | $106,320 | $96,710 | $115,880 | 33,160 | — | — |
| 17 | Media and Communication Workers, All Other High school diploma or equivalent27-3099 | $103,820 | $73,620 | $134,270 | 19,590 | 3,000 | +2.7% |
| 18 | Real Estate Brokers High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first41-9021 | $103,360 | $73,220 | $143,300 | 46,100 | 9,700 | +3.3% |
| 19 | First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first33-1011 | $103,320 | $77,970 | $127,780 | 53,380 | 4,300 | -2.8% |
| 20 | Postmasters and Mail Superintendents High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first11-9131 | $102,960 | $96,660 | $111,740 | 13,810 | 900 | -3.5% |
| 21 | Commercial Divers Postsecondary nondegree award49-9092 | $101,550 | $72,990 | $157,790 | 3,450 | 400 | +8.5% |
| 22 | First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers High school diploma or equivalent5 years or more experience first47-1011 | $101,460 | $79,920 | $128,260 | 812,210 | 74,400 | +5.3% |
| 23 | First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers High school diploma or equivalentLess than 5 years experience first49-1011 | $101,360 | $79,860 | $126,790 | 617,500 | 52,400 | +3.1% |
| 24 | Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators High school diploma or equivalent51-8021 | $101,150 | $78,620 | $125,390 | 28,250 | — | — |
| 25 | Gas Plant Operators High school diploma or equivalentLong-term training51-8092 | $100,870 | $87,820 | $115,520 | 18,030 | 1,300 | -8.8% |
| 26 | Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Postsecondary nondegree award27-3092 | $100,780 | $72,420 | $130,560 | 12,870 | 1,700 | -0.3% |
| 27 | Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel High school diploma or equivalent41-3091 | $100,480 | $69,990 | $148,840 | 1,256,010 | 123,000 | +3.1% |
| 28 | Sound Engineering Technicians Postsecondary nondegree award27-4014 | $100,280 | $73,130 | $137,370 | 13,080 | 1,200 | -1.7% |
And four more, if you will do an associate's degree
These clear a six-figure median but require a two-year degree, so they do not belong on a no-degree list. They are the shortest credentialed path to $100,000 that exists in the federal data.
| # | Occupation | Median payTypical worker | 25th to 75th | Top 10%90th percentile | Jobs | OpeningsPer year | Growth2024-34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Traffic Controllers Associate's degreeLong-term training53-2021 | $148,080 | $104,520 – $190,570 | $215,610 | 22,510 | 2,200 | +1.2% |
| 2 | Nuclear Technicians Associate's degree19-4051 | $110,240 | $99,110 – $123,990 | $133,600 | 6,470 | 700 | -7.7% |
| 3 | Radiation Therapists Associate's degree29-1124 | $105,310 | $92,060 – $126,340 | $156,710 | 17,070 | 900 | +1.9% |
| 4 | Nuclear Medicine Technologists Associate's degree29-2033 | $101,370 | $86,720 – $117,120 | $134,500 | 17,080 | 900 | +3.0% |
Methodology
- Source
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates, cross-industry and all ownerships. Cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, which is the combination that yields one unduplicated figure per occupation. Growth and average annual openings come from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34.
- What counts as “without a degree”
- Four BLS typical entry-level education categories: No formal educational credential, High school diploma or equivalent, Some college, no degree, Postsecondary nondegree award. An associate's degree is excluded from the main lists because it is a degree; the 4 associate's occupations that clear a six-figure median are shown separately above. Bachelor's, master's and doctoral occupations are out of scope entirely.
- What the education label does and does not say
- Typical entry-level education is an assignment BLS makes about the credential an occupation requires to enter. It is not a measurement of the education its current workers hold, which BLS publishes separately from the Current Population Survey and which is not in this dataset. It is also silent on everything else standing between a person and the job, so the two fields that are not silent are shown on each row: prior work experience in a related occupation (4 of the nine) and on-the-job training (3 of the nine need an apprenticeship or long-term training). Licensure is not in the data at all, though it clearly binds for reactor operators and pilots. 1 of the nine has no Clema page, so its experience and training fields could not be read.
- Which occupations are counted
- Detailed SOC occupations only (830 of them), never the broad, minor or major group rollups, so no worker is counted twice. Of those, 492 carry one of the four no-degree education levels and employ 105,625,970 people, 67.9% of US employment.
- The three thresholds
- 9 occupations reach $100,000 at the median, 37 at the 75th percentile, and 99 at the 90th. The first table is the median tier; the second is the 75th-percentile tier with the median tier removed so no occupation appears twice. Across every education level, 138 of the 830 occupations pay a six-figure median, so the no-degree route accounts for 9 of them.
- What the wage means
- OEWS reports what people already working in an occupation earn, nationally, in May 2025. It is not a starting salary and not a graduate-earnings figure. Clema program pages use College Scorecard earnings one year after graduation, which measures something different and should never be compared directly with these numbers.
- Links and coverage
- Each occupation links to its Clema page, where the same wage is broken out by state and metro alongside the college programs that feed it. The Occupations section covers 648 detailed occupations, so 5 rows on this page have no page to link to and render as plain text.
Want a different cut of this?
Every number on this page is one query against the same federal wage file. Ask the BLS agent for the version you actually need: the same threshold in your state, a $75,000 cut, or the occupations where the top quarter clears $150,000. Or start from every occupation that needs only a high school diploma.
Frequently asked questions
What jobs pay $100,000 a year without a degree?+
Nine, if "pay $100,000" means the typical worker earns it. In the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates, 9 occupations have a median annual wage at or above $100,000 and a typical entry-level education below an associate's degree: Commercial Pilots ($123,220), Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910), Ship Engineers ($109,530), Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers ($107,230), Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($106,730), First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives ($106,040), Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103,020), Power Plant Operators ($102,040).
Why do other lists name 20 or 30 jobs?+
Because they quote the top of the wage range rather than the middle. 37 no-degree occupations pay at least $100,000 to their top quarter of earners, and 99 reach it at the 90th percentile, covering 14,719,280 jobs. Those are real numbers, but they describe the best-paid workers in an occupation, not what someone entering it should expect. Both tiers are on this page, labeled.
Does "without a degree" include an associate's degree?+
No. An associate's degree is a degree. This page uses the four BLS categories below it: No formal educational credential, High school diploma or equivalent, Some college, no degree, Postsecondary nondegree award. The last of those, postsecondary nondegree award, is the certificate and licence tier, which is how commercial pilots and court reporters qualify. Four associate's-degree occupations do clear a six-figure median and are listed separately.
What is the highest paying job you can get without a degree?+
Commercial Pilots, at a $123,220 median, roughly 2.4 times the $50,980 median across all US occupations. Its typical entry-level education is a postsecondary nondegree award, which in practice means flight training and FAA certification rather than a college degree.
Which of these jobs actually hire at scale?+
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (221,180 jobs), First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives (154,610 jobs), Commercial Pilots (47,630 jobs). Employment size matters more than the wage rank here: several of the nine are small occupations, so a high median does not mean many openings. The openings column on each table is the BLS projection of average annual openings through 2034.
Can you actually walk into these jobs without a degree?+
Mostly no, and the same BLS dataset says so in a different column. Of the nine, 4 require prior work experience in a related occupation before you can be hired (transportation, storage and distribution managers need five years or more) and 3 require an apprenticeship or long-term on-the-job training. 7 of the nine carry at least one of those gates, marked in orange on the table. "No degree required" describes the credential, not the difficulty.
Do most people in these jobs really have no degree?+
Unknown from this data, and worth being clear about. BLS assigns each occupation the education level typically needed to ENTER it; that assignment is not a measurement of what the people currently in the job hold. BLS publishes actual educational attainment separately, from the Current Population Survey, and that table is not in the dataset behind this page. So every figure here answers "what does the job require", never "what do its workers have". Plenty of commercial pilots and police supervisors hold bachelor's degrees.
What data is this based on?+
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates, cross-industry and all ownerships. Wages are what people already working in each occupation earn, which is a different measurement from the College Scorecard graduate-earnings figures shown on Clema program pages. Growth and annual openings come from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34.
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional. Wages are what people already working in the occupation earn, not starting or graduate salaries; the methodology section above defines every threshold. All sources & release dates →
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