Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in New York City (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in New York City was $61,430 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 choreographers, at a median of $170,780.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by commercial pilots at $225,900.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in New York City. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ)) 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 metro area that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ had about 9,492,000 wage and salary jobs in the survey.
Top-paying jobs that need a high school diploma or less
Jobs with at least 300 positions in the metro area, ranked by median annual wage. The last column shows the national median for comparison.
| Occupation | New York City median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choreographers | $170,780 | 340 | $55,310 |
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $136,000 | 3,270 | $109,910 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $135,270 | 13,970 | $106,040 |
| Power Distributors and Dispatchers | $134,250 | 330 | $106,730 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $133,640 | 10,410 | $107,230 |
| Power Plant Operators | $131,770 | 1,090 | $102,040 |
| Flight Attendants | $127,740 | 18,030 | $63,580 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $122,480 | 3,850 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $121,600 | 1,990 | $77,970 |
| Plasterers and Stucco Masons | $120,180 | 840 | $57,660 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $116,980 | 18,300 | $87,520 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $106,440 | 7,580 | $93,790 |
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 | New York City median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Pilots | $225,900 | 1,210 | $123,220 |
| Radiation Therapists | $135,550 | 960 | $105,310 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $132,810 | 4,610 | $93,530 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $127,140 | 5,110 | $79,870 |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | $125,340 | 940 | $101,370 |
| Ship Engineers | $122,820 | 650 | $109,530 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $118,360 | 3,020 | $95,480 |
| Funeral Home Managers | $113,620 | 730 | $78,790 |
The most common jobs in New York City, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $39,680 | 644,700 |
| Retail Salespersons | $38,280 | 202,080 |
| Registered Nurses | $119,720 | 197,740 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $42,840 | 183,030 |
| General and Operations Managers | $157,000 | 177,850 |
| Cashiers | $35,950 | 173,830 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $35,420 | 166,040 |
| Security Guards | $43,980 | 142,760 |
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 New York City relative to the nation is subway and streetcar operators, with a location quotient of 6.34. That means those jobs make up about 6.34 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 3,950 of them locally, at a median of $90,140. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk