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degreelessjobs

BLS, May 2025 wages

$30-an-hour jobs without a degree, by state

Nationally, 135 occupations pay a median of $30 an hour or more and typically need less than a bachelor’s degree to enter. Pick a state to see which of them clear the bar there, with local medians.

By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS

By state

The count is the number of below-bachelor’s occupations whose state median is $30 an hour or more.

Nationally: 135 occupations

Sorted by hourly median. Occupations that BLS reports on an annual basis only (for example, most teaching and flight jobs) are not included.

Occupations with a national median of $30 an hour or more that typically require less than a bachelor's degree
OccupationHourly median
Air traffic controllers$71.19
Nuclear power reactor operators$59.08
Nuclear technicians$53.00
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers$52.84
Ship engineers$52.66
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers$51.55
Power distributors and dispatchers$51.31
First-line supervisors of police and detectives$50.98
Radiation therapists$50.63
Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay$49.53
Power plant operators$49.06
Nuclear medicine technologists$48.74
Musicians and singers$47.80
Dental hygienists$47.16
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance$46.71
Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers$46.50
Postmasters and mail superintendents$46.47
Diagnostic medical sonographers$46.44
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists$45.91
Electrical power-line installers and repairers$45.83
Detectives and criminal investigators$45.09
First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers$44.96
Gambling managers$44.82
Signal and track switch repairers$44.45
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels$44.45
Transportation inspectors$44.28
Transit and railroad police$43.38
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers$43.22
Gas plant operators$42.22
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers$42.08
Subway and streetcar operators$41.53
Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment$40.81
Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians$39.85
Respiratory therapists$39.56
Avionics technicians$39.56
Locomotive engineers$39.14
Radiologic technologists and technicians$38.52
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers$38.42
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians$38.40
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers$38.39
Funeral home managers$37.88
Stationary engineers and boiler operators$37.80
Roof bolters, mining$37.76
Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other$37.67
Insurance appraisers, auto damage$37.61
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians$37.59
Chemical plant and system operators$37.56
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators$37.50
Railroad conductors and yardmasters$37.50
First-line supervisors of correctional officers$37.49
Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators$37.17
Electrical and electronics drafters$36.96
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants$36.82
Boilermakers$36.74
First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other$36.73
Computer network support specialists$36.64
Police and sheriff's patrol officers$36.64
Terrazzo workers and finishers$36.62
Fire inspectors and investigators$36.50
Construction and building inspectors$35.91
Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians$35.82
Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining$35.82
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers$35.79
Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door$35.74
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians$35.73
Telecommunications line installers and repairers$35.73
Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment$35.62
Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians$35.53
Media and communication workers, all other$35.39
Pile driver operators$35.24
Real estate brokers$35.20
Sound engineering technicians$35.16
Commercial divers$35.09
Court reporters and simultaneous captioners$34.82
Occupational therapy assistants$34.76
Legal support workers, all other$34.67
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products$34.65
Mechanical drafters$34.40
Artists and related workers, all other$34.25
Media and communication equipment workers, all other$34.00
Underground mining machine operators, all other$33.72
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators$33.69
Property, real estate, and community association managers$33.65
Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel$33.65
Wellhead pumpers$33.63
Personal service managers, all other$33.54
First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers$33.41
Food service managers$33.36
Lodging managers$33.29
Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other$33.17
Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers$33.10
Physical therapist assistants$32.88
Tapers$32.82
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers$32.75
Crane and tower operators$32.73
Lighting technicians$32.72
Health information technologists and medical registrars$32.70
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas$32.64
Calibration technologists and technicians$32.61
Rail car repairers$32.46
Watch and clock repairers$32.32
Surgical assistants$32.11
Transportation security screeners$32.10
Architectural and civil drafters$31.80
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians$31.79
Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other$31.63
Brokerage clerks$31.61
Millwrights$31.59
Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines$31.50
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers$31.43
Hearing aid specialists$31.33
Civil engineering technologists and technicians$31.23
Advertising sales agents$31.16
Hydrologic technicians$31.15
Surgical technologists$31.08
Industrial machinery mechanics$31.02
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses$30.96
Wind turbine service technicians$30.83
Tool and die makers$30.79
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers$30.72
Layout workers, metal and plastic$30.71
First-line supervisors of gambling services workers$30.68
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters$30.67
Drafters, all other$30.54
Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers$30.54
Model makers, metal and plastic$30.45
Electricians$30.38
Paralegals and legal assistants$30.24
First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors$30.23
Structural iron and steel workers$30.18
Fabric and apparel patternmakers$30.17
Riggers$30.12
Timing device assemblers and adjusters$30.11
Chefs and head cooks$30.03
Plant and system operators, all other$30.03

How this list is built

BLS Employment Projections Table 1.2 assigns each occupation a typical entry education. We keep the occupations below a bachelor’s degree and look up the May 2025 median hourly wage in the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for the nation and for each state. An occupation appears on a state page when its state median is $30.00 or more.

Medians describe everyone employed in the occupation, including experienced workers; entry pay is lower. Some occupations that clear $30 still require a license, an apprenticeship, or an associate’s degree. The career pages spell out the path for the most common ones.

Sources

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).