Pay by entry education
What jobs pay, by the education they typically require
79.4% of projected annual U.S. job openingsare in occupations where most people entering typically hold no bachelor's degree, about 15 million of 18.9 million openings a year. That is not an argument against a degree: it is the shape of the job market a college decision is being made against. Figures are BLS 2024 median wages and 2024–2034 projections across 832 occupations.
Openings and pay at each level of entry education
| Typical entry education | Annual openings | Share | Median pay | Occupations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No formal credential | 6,287,800 | 33.3% | $38,940 | 109 |
| High school diploma | 6,753,600 | 35.8% | $48,940 | 326 |
| Some college, no degree | 440,200 | 2.3% | $45,760 | 7 |
| Postsecondary certificate | 1,161,100 | 6.2% | $58,410 | 51 |
| Associate's degree | 332,300 | 1.8% | $64,915 | 48 |
| Bachelor's degree | 3,333,500 | 17.7% | $81,475 | 178 |
| Master's degree | 316,800 | 1.7% | $83,850 | 40 |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 236,300 | 1.3% | $95,800 | 73 |
“Median pay” is the median of the reported occupational medians at that level, not a wage for any individual. Occupations whose wage BLS does not publish are counted in the openings column and excluded from the pay column.
Occupations typically requiring postsecondary certificate
Highest median pay first. Showing 40 of 51. Typical entry education is what most people entering the occupation have, not a legal requirement and not a guarantee of entry; several of these also require an apprenticeship or a licence that this field does not capture.
| Occupation | Typical entry education | Median pay | Openings / yr | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial pilots | Postsecondary nondegree award | $122,670 | 6,600 | +5.1% |
| Ship engineers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $101,320 | 1,100 | +1.6% |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay | Postsecondary nondegree award | $100,940 | 2,000 | +5.5% |
| First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $92,430 | 6,500 | +3.4% |
| Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels | Postsecondary nondegree award | $85,540 | 4,300 | +0.5% |
| Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment | Postsecondary nondegree award | $82,730 | 600 | +6.1% |
| Avionics technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | $81,390 | 1,800 | +8.2% |
| Aircraft mechanics and service technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | $78,680 | 11,300 | +4% |
| Fire inspectors and investigators | Postsecondary nondegree award | $78,060 | 1,500 | +3.8% |
| Insurance appraisers, auto damage | Postsecondary nondegree award | $76,650 | 500 | -8.2% |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment | Postsecondary nondegree award | $71,300 | 4,700 | -0.8% |
| Court reporters and simultaneous captioners | Postsecondary nondegree award | $67,310 | 1,700 | -0.3% |
| Sound engineering technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | $66,430 | 1,200 | -1.7% |
| Computer numerically controlled tool programmers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $65,670 | 3,100 | +12.8% |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other | Postsecondary nondegree award | $64,030 | 2,600 | +3.6% |
| Tool and die makers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $63,180 | 4,700 | -10.8% |
| Surgical technologists | Postsecondary nondegree award | $62,830 | 7,000 | +4.5% |
| Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $62,630 | 13,200 | -4.2% |
| Wind turbine service technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | $62,580 | 2,300 | +49.9% |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses | Postsecondary nondegree award | $62,340 | 54,400 | +2.6% |
| Commercial divers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $61,130 | 400 | +8.5% |
| Lighting technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | $60,560 | 800 | -4.6% |
| Surgical assistants | Postsecondary nondegree award | $60,290 | 1,600 | +5.1% |
| Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $59,810 | 40,100 | +8.1% |
| Firefighters | Postsecondary nondegree award | $59,530 | 27,100 | +3.4% |
| Paramedics | Postsecondary nondegree award | $58,410 | 4,900 | +5% |
| Massage therapists | Postsecondary nondegree award | $57,950 | 24,700 | +15.4% |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $57,440 | 237,600 | +4% |
| Audio and video technicians | Postsecondary nondegree award | $54,830 | 7,300 | +3.3% |
| Motorboat operators | Postsecondary nondegree award | $51,880 | 300 | +1.4% |
| Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $50,620 | 2,600 | +6.6% |
| Makeup artists, theatrical and performance | Postsecondary nondegree award | $50,280 | 1,100 | +8.1% |
| Medical records specialists | Postsecondary nondegree award | $50,250 | 14,200 | +7.1% |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | Postsecondary nondegree award | $49,670 | 70,000 | +4.2% |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other | Postsecondary nondegree award | $48,790 | 13,600 | +5.2% |
| Dental assistants | Postsecondary nondegree award | $47,300 | 52,900 | +6.4% |
| Prepress technicians and workers | Postsecondary nondegree award | $47,300 | 2,800 | -14.6% |
| Motorcycle mechanics | Postsecondary nondegree award | $47,200 | 1,500 | +5.3% |
| Cooks, private household | Postsecondary nondegree award | $44,530 | 5,300 | +5.1% |
| Medical assistants | Postsecondary nondegree award | $44,200 | 112,300 | +12.5% |
How to read this
- “Typically requires” is a description, not a rule
- BLS records the education most workers entering an occupation have. Employers still set their own requirements, many of these roles need licensure or a multi-year apprenticeship, and holding more education than the typical entrant is common.
- Openings are not the same as pay
- The levels with the most openings are not the best paid. Both columns matter: a high median with few openings is a harder market to enter than the median alone suggests.
- These are national figures
- Wages vary substantially by state, metro, employer and experience, and none of this is an outcome for graduates of any particular institution or program.
Source, vintage, and limits
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Median wages are the 2024 estimates; employment projections cover 2024–2034. Snapshot taken 2026-06-14 across 832 detailed occupations. Pay figures are stated for 2024 rather than the current year, because that is the year BLS published them.
Limitations
- U.S. national figures only, wages and outlook vary by state, metro, employer, and experience.
- Median wage is the 2024 BLS estimate; projections are BLS model estimates for 2024–2034, not guarantees.
- Occupational data is national and is NOT an institution-specific or graduate outcome.
- Very high wages are capped by BLS and stored as null rather than a fabricated number.
Cite this page
CampusPin. “What jobs pay, by the education they typically require.” Analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 wages, 2024–2034 projections. https://campuspin.com/careers/pay-by-education