Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Virginia (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Virginia was $55,690 in May 2025, above the U.S. median of $50,980.
- The best-paid job here that typically needs only a high school diploma or less was transportation, storage, and distribution managers, at a median of $119,140.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by air traffic controllers at $191,820.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Virginia. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Virginia) and the education level BLS lists as typical for entry into each job (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35), here are the best-paying jobs in the state that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Virginia had about 4,109,320 wage and salary jobs in the survey.
Top-paying jobs that need a high school diploma or less
Jobs with at least 1,000 positions in the state, ranked by median annual wage. The last column shows the national median for comparison.
| Occupation | Virginia median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $119,140 | 3,380 | $107,230 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $112,760 | 3,180 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $101,230 | 3,750 | $106,040 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $98,170 | 9,020 | $87,520 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $80,770 | 16,910 | $79,860 |
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $80,330 | 10,360 | $76,590 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | $79,810 | 5,570 | $69,990 |
| Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | $79,090 | 4,120 | $74,330 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $78,640 | 24,970 | $79,920 |
| Real Estate Brokers | $77,270 | 1,500 | $73,220 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $76,590 | 2,920 | $95,320 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $75,660 | 6,550 | $74,690 |
Many of these jobs pay well because they come with long on-the-job training, licensing, physical risk or irregular hours. Several are skilled trades that train through paid apprenticeships.
Top-paying jobs that need a certificate or associate’s degree
Jobs where BLS lists a postsecondary certificate, some college or an associate’s degree as the typical entry credential:
| Occupation | Virginia median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Traffic Controllers | $191,820 | 1,120 | $148,080 |
| Commercial Pilots | $104,890 | 1,130 | $123,220 |
| Dental Hygienists | $102,950 | 3,770 | $98,100 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $98,640 | 1,070 | $95,480 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $97,780 | 3,300 | $93,530 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $95,660 | 2,160 | $96,590 |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $87,610 | 2,270 | $92,460 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $82,910 | 3,340 | $82,280 |
The most common jobs in Virginia, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $30,110 | 104,460 |
| General and Operations Managers | $122,080 | 103,590 |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,240 | 100,290 |
| Software Developers | $136,460 | 88,280 |
| Cashiers | $30,580 | 83,890 |
| Registered Nurses | $93,600 | 77,490 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $30,300 | 70,070 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $36,380 | 69,660 |
How to use these numbers
- Medians are midpoints. Half of workers in each job earn more and half earn less; new workers usually start well below the median.
- Overtime is not included. BLS wage estimates exclude overtime pay and shift differentials, so jobs with heavy overtime often pay more in practice (see the OEWS technical notes).
- Check the training path. “Typical entry education” is what most new workers have; licenses and apprenticeships may still be required.
Published October 27, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point from the same survey: the occupation most concentrated in Virginia relative to the nation is layout workers, metal and plastic, with a location quotient of 6.8. That means those jobs make up about 6.8 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 1,080 of them locally, at a median of $70,260. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Virginia.