Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Boise (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Boise was $49,100 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 electrical power-line installers and repairers, at a median of $126,840.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by dental hygienists at $94,650.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Boise. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Boise City, ID)) 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. Boise City, ID had about 391,790 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 | Boise median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $126,840 | 340 | $95,320 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $97,610 | 520 | $107,230 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $97,300 | 400 | $106,040 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $84,940 | 950 | $76,210 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $80,320 | 510 | $87,520 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $77,500 | 3,500 | $79,920 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $76,400 | 870 | $78,000 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $75,350 | 1,560 | $79,860 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $73,100 | 1,400 | $74,450 |
| Food Service Managers | $71,410 | 300 | $69,390 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $65,760 | 3,470 | $72,080 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $64,840 | 4,010 | $69,500 |
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 | Boise median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienists | $94,650 | 1,020 | $98,100 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $81,640 | 610 | $80,110 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $78,460 | 430 | $82,280 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $77,830 | 390 | $78,190 |
| Surgical Technologists | $76,650 | 460 | $64,650 |
| Firefighters | $76,280 | 740 | $59,280 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | $71,910 | 390 | $76,220 |
| Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars | $67,460 | 320 | $68,020 |
The most common jobs in Boise, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,660 | 11,690 |
| General and Operations Managers | $83,680 | 11,270 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $35,850 | 9,850 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $46,640 | 9,460 |
| Retail Salespersons | $35,670 | 9,130 |
| Office Clerks, General | $45,860 | 8,810 |
| Registered Nurses | $97,880 | 8,550 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $44,480 | 8,030 |
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 31, 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 Boise relative to the nation is forest and conservation technicians, with a location quotient of 5.76. That means those jobs make up about 5.76 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 440 of them locally, at a median of $57,660. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Boise City, ID). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk