Are you going to complete high school diploma this year? Are you all set to find a job after completing high school diploma? If yes, this post will be of help to you. Here, I’ve compiled a list of high-paying jobs for candidates who possess a high school diploma in the US.
In this post, I’ve covered the following details –
- List of high-paying jobs in the US (with a high school diploma)
- Average domain-specific/industry-specific salary
- Additional information
In short, this post covers all the important details that you need to know about the high-paying jobs with a high school diploma. After going through this list, readers will be able to find an ideal high-paying job (that you may obtain with a high school diploma), relevant high school diploma major/program/course, relevant average salary & more.
Also check –
High-Paying Jobs With Associate Degree in USA
Let us check out the list of high-paying jobs with high school diploma in the US now. Here it is –
Table of Contents
High-paying jobs in USA with high school diploma
| Sr No | Job | Relevant domain/discipline/industry | Average annual salary |
| 1 | Air Traffic Controllers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $144,500 |
| 2 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators | Manufacturing | $122,600 |
| 3 | Commercial Pilots | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $119,800 |
| 4 | Industrial Production Managers | Business Management and Administration | $119,600 |
| 5 | Administrative Services Managers | Business Management and Administration | $108,100 |
| 6 | Elevator Installers and Repairers | Architecture and Construction | $106,500 |
| 7 | Supervisors of Police and Detectives | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $105,900 |
| 8 | General and Operations Managers | Business Management and Administration | $102,600 |
| 9 | Ship Engineers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $101,100 |
| 10 | Biomass Plant Technicians | Manufacturing | $99,600 |
| 11 | Power Plant Operators | Manufacturing | $99,600 |
| 12 | Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | Manufacturing | $97,500 |
| 13 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $93,500 |
| 14 | Supervisors of Firefighting Workers | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $92,400 |
| 15 | Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | Architecture and Construction | $92,100 |
| 16 | Postmasters and Mail Superintendents | Government and Public Administration | $92,000 |
| 17 | Models | Marketing | $88,100 |
| 18 | Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors | Government and Public Administration | $85,600 |
| 19 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $84,800 |
| 20 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $83,900 |
| 21 | Gas Plant Operators | Manufacturing | $83,400 |
| 22 | Signal and Track Switch Repairers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $83,300 |
| 23 | Gaming Managers | Hospitality and Tourism | $81,500 |
| 24 | Customs Brokers | Business Management and Administration | $78,200 |
| 25 | Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | Manufacturing | $78,100 |
| 26 | Fire Inspectors and Investigators | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $77,700 |
| 27 | Locomotive Engineers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $77,300 |
| 28 | Non-Destructive Testing Specialists | Manufacturing | $77,100 |
| 29 | Roof Bolters | Architecture and Construction | $76,600 |
| 30 | Supervisors of Correctional Officers | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $76,300 |
| 31 | Customs and Border Protection Officers | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $76,200 |
| 32 | Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security | $76,200 |
| 33 | Solar Energy Installation Managers | Architecture and Construction | $75,600 |
| 34 | Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | Architecture and Construction | $75,600 |
| 35 | Control and Valve Installers and Repairers | Architecture and Construction | $74,500 |
| 36 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $74,000 |
| 37 | Entertainment Managers | Business Management and Administration | $73,700 |
| 38 | Chemical Plant and System Operators | Manufacturing | $73,500 |
| 39 | Boilermakers | Architecture and Construction | $73,300 |
| 40 | Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $71,200 |
| 41 | Construction and Building Inspectors | Government and Public Administration | $70,700 |
| 42 | Energy Auditors | Business Management and Administration | $70,700 |
| 43 | Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | Manufacturing | $70,700 |
| 44 | Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications | $70,000 |
| 45 | Pile-Driver Operators | Architecture and Construction | $69,800 |
| 46 | Wellhead Pumpers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $69,200 |
| 47 | Musicians and Singers | Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications | $68,800 |
| 48 | Mining Loading and Moving Machine Operators | Architecture and Construction | $68,700 |
| 49 | Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $67,300 |
| 50 | Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers | Manufacturing | $67,200 |
| 51 | Flight Attendants | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $67,100 |
| 52 | Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars | Health Science | $67,000 |
| 53 | Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives | Marketing | $66,200 |
| 54 | Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate | Government and Public Administration | $65,900 |
| 55 | Appraisers | Government and Public Administration | $65,900 |
| 56 | Rail Car Repairers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $65,500 |
| 57 | Railroad Signal Operators and Locomotive Firers | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $65,400 |
| 58 | Millwrights | Architecture and Construction | $65,100 |
| 59 | Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operators | Architecture and Construction | $65,000 |
| 60 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $63,700 |
| 61 | Continuous Mining Machine Operators | Architecture and Construction | $63,300 |
| 62 | Transportation Security Screeners | Government and Public Administration | $63,300 |
| 63 | Sound Engineering Technicians | Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications | $63,200 |
| 64 | Tool and Die Makers | Manufacturing | $63,100 |
| 65 | Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers | Manufacturing | $63,000 |
| 66 | Oil and Gas Derrick Operators | Architecture and Construction | $62,700 |
| 67 | Metal and Plastic Model Makers | Manufacturing | $62,600 |
| 68 | Athletes and Sports Competitors | Hospitality and Tourism | $62,000 |
| 69 | Structural Iron and Steel Workers | Architecture and Construction | $62,000 |
| 70 | Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers | Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications | $62,000 |
| 71 | Riggers | Architecture and Construction | $62,000 |
| 72 | Biofuels Processing Technicians | Manufacturing | $61,700 |
| 73 | Labor Supervisors | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $61,700 |
| 74 | Real Estate Sales Agents | Marketing | $61,700 |
| 75 | Recycling Coordinators | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $61,700 |
| 76 | Supervisors of Drivers and Material-Moving Machine Operators | Transportation, Distribution and Logistics | $61,700 |
| 77 | Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | Manufacturing | $61,600 |
| 78 | Postal Service Clerks | Business Management and Administration | $61,600 |
| 79 | Metal and Plastic Layout Workers | Manufacturing | $61,500 |
| 80 | Supervisors of Gaming Workers | Hospitality and Tourism | $61,500 |
| 81 | Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians | Architecture and Construction | $60,600 |
About the average annual salary
The average annual salary figure provided in this post is an estimated figure. I’ve reached upon these figures after going through job listings, recruiters’ websites, interviewing employees and/or employers. The actual figure varies from one employer to another. It depends upon factors such as – educational qualification of the employee, profile of the employer, job-location, availability of additional benefits & more.
Is a relevant high school diploma enough to get any of these high-paying jobs?
Is high school diploma enough – the answer to this question depends upon various factors. The most prominent factor is – requirements set forward by the recruiter/employer. I’ve listed all of the above-mentioned job posts due to the following reason – the most common education level of that particular job post is – high school diploma.
In other words, majority of people doing that particular job have relevant high school diploma. It doesn’t mean that high school diploma is enough to help you get that job. The educational requirement criteria may vary from one employer to another. Some recruiters may want to hire a person who has a higher qualification. But broadly speaking, the most common education level for the jobs listed here is – high school diploma.
Additional training after high school diploma
Many jobs that I’ve listed in this post require additional, domain/industry-specific training. In some cases, the recruiters may train you. The recruiters will take care of the skill-development part. In some other cases, recruiters expect the high school diploma holders to have domain/industry-specific skills/knowledge (through internships/training programs/workshops/similar skill-development programs).
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