Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Cincinnati (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Cincinnati was $50,170 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 $106,160.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by dental hygienists at $102,940.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Cincinnati. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN)) 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. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN had about 1,101,030 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 | Cincinnati median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $106,160 | 1,920 | $107,230 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $102,870 | 790 | $106,040 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $93,150 | 730 | $95,320 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $92,110 | 330 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $82,330 | 4,000 | $79,860 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $80,520 | 4,730 | $79,920 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $80,410 | 3,900 | $76,210 |
| Maintenance Workers, Machinery | $79,410 | 940 | $60,850 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $78,860 | 1,390 | $87,520 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $77,640 | 1,830 | $78,000 |
| Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | $76,840 | 880 | $74,330 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $76,440 | 630 | $74,690 |
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 | Cincinnati median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienists | $102,940 | 1,700 | $98,100 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $93,600 | 490 | $95,480 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $86,770 | 820 | $93,530 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $85,410 | 1,370 | $79,870 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $84,950 | 540 | $96,590 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $81,600 | 1,300 | $82,280 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $79,270 | 1,650 | $80,110 |
| Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $77,600 | 1,480 | $66,120 |
The most common jobs in Cincinnati, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,720 | 30,950 |
| General and Operations Managers | $100,670 | 29,330 |
| Retail Salespersons | $30,810 | 28,670 |
| Registered Nurses | $83,650 | 28,520 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $37,810 | 26,870 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $40,240 | 22,910 |
| Cashiers | $29,170 | 19,580 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $46,470 | 19,410 |
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 Cincinnati relative to the nation is aircraft cargo handling supervisors, with a location quotient of 6.6. That means those jobs make up about 6.6 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 460 of them locally, at a median of $34,110. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk