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

If you don't have a bachelor's degree but want to earn well, options include air traffic controller, nuclear power reactor operator, and diagnostic medical sonographer. The ranking uses median annual wages for occupations that typically require an associate degree, a high-school diploma or equivalent, a postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics pay data for May 2025.

About a dozen jobs on the list had a median annual wage in the six figures. At the top, air traffic controllers had a median annual wage of $148,080 and typically need an associate degree; commercial pilots had a median of $123,220 and typically need a postsecondary nondegree award; nuclear power reactor operators had a median of $122,890 and typically need a high school diploma or equivalent.

Employment estimates for those jobs were 22,510 for air traffic controllers, 47,630 for commercial pilots, and 5,150 for nuclear power reactor operators.

United States

air traffic, commercial pilot, nuclear reactor, diagnostic sonographer, median wage, bls, associate degree, postsecondary award, high school, employment estimates