Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Kansas (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Kansas was $48,010 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 $106,130.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by aircraft mechanics and service technicians at $80,270.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Kansas. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Kansas) 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. Kansas had about 1,437,520 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 | Kansas median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $106,130 | 1,150 | $107,230 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $101,620 | 1,610 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $82,950 | 2,330 | $106,040 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $78,390 | 6,780 | $79,860 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $77,290 | 4,570 | $78,000 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $76,780 | 8,940 | $79,920 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $75,740 | 1,060 | $93,790 |
| Locomotive Engineers | $75,190 | 1,020 | $81,410 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $74,480 | 7,980 | $74,450 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $71,590 | 1,080 | $77,970 |
| Food Service Managers | $70,320 | 1,540 | $69,390 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $68,960 | 12,630 | $72,080 |
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 | Kansas median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $80,270 | 1,440 | $79,870 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $78,880 | 1,450 | $93,530 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $76,970 | 1,450 | $82,280 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $76,070 | 2,270 | $80,110 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | $64,500 | 1,300 | $68,380 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $61,760 | 7,530 | $64,400 |
| Surgical Technologists | $60,600 | 1,200 | $64,650 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | $60,460 | 3,770 | $61,010 |
The most common jobs in Kansas, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $27,580 | 47,140 |
| Registered Nurses | $79,320 | 33,800 |
| Retail Salespersons | $32,180 | 33,360 |
| Cashiers | $28,800 | 33,080 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $42,270 | 32,120 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $40,320 | 29,200 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $35,450 | 26,750 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $31,260 | 25,350 |
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 Kansas relative to the nation is aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers, with a location quotient of 30.86. That means those jobs make up about 30.86 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 9,710 of them locally, at a median of $59,850. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Kansas. Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk