Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Kentucky (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Kentucky was $46,920 in May 2025, below 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 $100,340.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by dental hygienists at $78,830.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Kentucky. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Kentucky) 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. Kentucky had about 2,000,360 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 | Kentucky median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $100,340 | 2,340 | $107,230 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $80,390 | 1,600 | $106,040 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $77,020 | 2,930 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $76,760 | 10,020 | $79,860 |
| Maintenance Workers, Machinery | $76,710 | 2,920 | $60,850 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $73,840 | 3,670 | $78,000 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $73,490 | 9,620 | $79,920 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $73,320 | 2,090 | $87,520 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $72,490 | 13,820 | $74,450 |
| Millwrights | $70,610 | 1,220 | $65,700 |
| Food Service Managers | $70,410 | 1,680 | $69,390 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | $64,560 | 11,540 | $64,520 |
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 | Kentucky median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienists | $78,830 | 2,070 | $98,100 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $72,750 | 2,530 | $82,280 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $69,670 | 3,630 | $80,110 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $67,920 | 1,680 | $79,870 |
| Tool and Die Makers | $66,570 | 1,900 | $64,050 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $64,120 | 1,060 | $78,190 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | $61,480 | 2,580 | $68,380 |
| Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $61,140 | 1,330 | $66,120 |
The most common jobs in Kentucky, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $42,770 | 57,930 |
| General and Operations Managers | $79,370 | 52,100 |
| Retail Salespersons | $29,650 | 51,250 |
| Registered Nurses | $81,040 | 50,300 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $36,810 | 47,730 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $47,950 | 47,320 |
| Cashiers | $28,590 | 44,550 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $27,130 | 41,860 |
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 Kentucky relative to the nation is aircraft cargo handling supervisors, with a location quotient of 8.0. That means those jobs make up about 8.0 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 1,010 of them locally, at a median of $52,530. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Kentucky.