Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Utah (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Utah was $50,110 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 first-line supervisors of police and detectives, at a median of $110,500.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by cardiovascular technologists and technicians at $113,510.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Utah. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Utah) 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. Utah had about 1,735,590 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 | Utah median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $110,500 | 1,360 | $106,040 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $102,180 | 3,010 | $107,230 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $101,220 | 1,030 | $95,320 |
| Flight Attendants | $82,730 | 2,490 | $63,580 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $81,600 | 1,850 | $87,520 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $78,930 | 6,980 | $79,860 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $77,310 | 5,500 | $76,210 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $77,280 | 14,270 | $79,920 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $74,260 | 1,110 | $64,820 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $74,130 | 1,240 | $74,690 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $71,220 | 9,040 | $74,450 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | $70,720 | 4,040 | $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 | Utah median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | $113,510 | 1,250 | $74,310 |
| Dental Hygienists | $91,120 | 3,780 | $98,100 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $81,000 | 1,780 | $80,110 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $80,650 | 1,170 | $82,280 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $72,670 | 1,420 | $78,190 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $70,160 | 2,080 | $79,870 |
| Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $67,490 | 1,400 | $66,120 |
| Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers | $65,650 | 2,160 | $63,890 |
The most common jobs in Utah, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $28,670 | 52,340 |
| Retail Salespersons | $33,900 | 47,570 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $43,140 | 44,490 |
| General and Operations Managers | $97,850 | 42,580 |
| Office Clerks, General | $44,060 | 36,470 |
| Software Developers | $128,810 | 31,940 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $42,370 | 29,670 |
| Registered Nurses | $84,600 | 27,420 |
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 28, 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 Utah relative to the nation is umpires, referees, and other sports officials, with a location quotient of 6.26. That means those jobs make up about 6.26 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 1,100 of them locally, at a median of $31,430. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Utah. Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk