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 no formal credential
Highest median pay first. Showing 40 of 109. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Models | No formal educational credential | $89,990 | 1,200 | -0.5% |
| Artists and related workers, all other | No formal educational credential | $72,760 | 1,200 | +0.8% |
| Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining | No formal educational credential | $68,860 | 500 | -22.3% |
| Underground mining machine operators, all other | No formal educational credential | $67,220 | 400 | -6.1% |
| Rotary drill operators, oil and gas | No formal educational credential | $65,010 | 1,200 | +0.2% |
| Tapers | No formal educational credential | $64,700 | 1,100 | +0.1% |
| Continuous mining machine operators | No formal educational credential | $63,380 | 1,600 | +0.6% |
| Derrick operators, oil and gas | No formal educational credential | $62,740 | 1,000 | +0.5% |
| Athletes and sports competitors | No formal educational credential | $62,360 | 2,100 | +5.5% |
| Postal service clerks | No formal educational credential | $61,630 | 6,100 | -3.5% |
| Drywall and ceiling tile installers | No formal educational credential | $58,140 | 7,700 | +4.2% |
| Tank car, truck, and ship loaders | No formal educational credential | $58,070 | 1,300 | +4.3% |
| Service unit operators, oil and gas | No formal educational credential | $57,980 | 4,100 | +0.4% |
| Postal service mail carriers | No formal educational credential | $57,490 | 20,600 | -3.5% |
| Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators | No formal educational credential | $56,530 | 7,800 | -8.4% |
| Plasterers and stucco masons | No formal educational credential | $56,020 | 1,900 | +4.1% |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers | No formal educational credential | $54,660 | 14,300 | +1.8% |
| Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles | No formal educational credential | $54,340 | 2,700 | +9.5% |
| Hoist and winch operators | No formal educational credential | $52,310 | 300 | -1.1% |
| Tile and stone setters | No formal educational credential | $52,240 | 4,200 | +10.1% |
| Roofers | No formal educational credential | $50,970 | 12,700 | +5.9% |
| Carpet installers | No formal educational credential | $49,850 | 1,100 | -9.6% |
| Sailors and marine oilers | No formal educational credential | $49,610 | 3,900 | +2.3% |
| Floor sanders and finishers | No formal educational credential | $49,150 | 400 | +2.6% |
| Pipelayers | No formal educational credential | $48,710 | 2,400 | -4.1% |
| Farm labor contractors | No formal educational credential | $48,690 | 300 | +6% |
| Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall | No formal educational credential | $48,680 | 3,400 | +3.8% |
| Painters, construction and maintenance | No formal educational credential | $48,660 | 28,100 | +3.8% |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | No formal educational credential | $48,350 | 16,900 | +0.9% |
| Paperhangers | No formal educational credential | $48,260 | 200 | +5.3% |
| Roustabouts, oil and gas | No formal educational credential | $47,510 | 4,300 | +2.5% |
| Rock splitters, quarry | No formal educational credential | $47,460 | 400 | +4.4% |
| Fence erectors | No formal educational credential | $46,940 | 2,300 | +4.6% |
| Construction laborers | No formal educational credential | $46,730 | 129,400 | +7.3% |
| Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters | No formal educational credential | $46,480 | 1,400 | -10.5% |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators | No formal educational credential | $46,390 | 76,400 | +1.1% |
| Grounds maintenance workers, all other | No formal educational credential | $43,410 | 1,900 | +2.4% |
| Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders | No formal educational credential | $42,730 | 2,400 | +0.6% |
| Agricultural equipment operators | No formal educational credential | $42,580 | 10,500 | +7.7% |
| Building cleaning workers, all other | No formal educational credential | $42,360 | 2,600 | +2.5% |
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