Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Portland (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Portland was $60,690 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 electrical power-line installers and repairers, at a median of $135,300.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by diagnostic medical sonographers at $128,420.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Portland. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA)) 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. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA had about 1,208,410 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 | Portland median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $135,300 | 810 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $128,500 | 680 | $106,040 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $119,350 | 310 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $112,480 | 5,880 | $79,920 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $109,860 | 1,810 | $107,230 |
| Electricians | $105,090 | 7,340 | $63,190 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $101,010 | 4,600 | $63,800 |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $98,120 | 410 | $62,780 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $97,200 | 2,290 | $76,210 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $93,340 | 1,200 | $74,690 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $93,200 | 4,390 | $79,860 |
| Tapers | $92,490 | 360 | $68,270 |
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 | Portland median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $128,420 | 690 | $96,590 |
| Dental Hygienists | $123,100 | 2,380 | $98,100 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $120,650 | 330 | $95,480 |
| Commercial Pilots | $105,910 | 300 | $123,220 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $105,890 | 590 | $93,530 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $104,810 | 1,520 | $80,110 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $100,030 | 760 | $82,280 |
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | $95,750 | 340 | $74,310 |
The most common jobs in Portland, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $35,620 | 34,840 |
| Retail Salespersons | $37,340 | 28,230 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $44,440 | 26,750 |
| Registered Nurses | $130,310 | 24,220 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $45,570 | 22,860 |
| General and Operations Managers | $121,050 | 21,070 |
| Cashiers | $36,560 | 20,150 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $46,100 | 18,640 |
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 29, 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 Portland relative to the nation is semiconductor processing technicians, with a location quotient of 29.81. That means those jobs make up about 29.81 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 7,290 of them locally, at a median of $62,810. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk