Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Missouri (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Missouri was $47,800 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 $102,870.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by diagnostic medical sonographers at $100,130.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Missouri. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Missouri) 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. Missouri had about 2,936,050 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 | Missouri median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $102,870 | 3,650 | $107,230 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $96,360 | 3,440 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $94,440 | 3,490 | $106,040 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $87,520 | 13,330 | $79,920 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $79,440 | 2,910 | $87,520 |
| Locomotive Engineers | $78,820 | 1,110 | $81,410 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $77,470 | 11,220 | $79,860 |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $77,410 | 1,320 | $62,780 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $75,840 | 6,200 | $78,000 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $75,650 | 1,600 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $73,210 | 15,430 | $74,450 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $72,370 | 1,940 | $62,120 |
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 | Missouri median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $100,130 | 1,930 | $96,590 |
| Dental Hygienists | $92,750 | 3,810 | $98,100 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $83,110 | 1,040 | $95,480 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $78,390 | 3,030 | $82,280 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $75,970 | 1,950 | $93,530 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $73,080 | 5,170 | $80,110 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | $72,780 | 3,910 | $76,220 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $72,120 | 1,390 | $78,190 |
The most common jobs in Missouri, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $79,300 | 109,020 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $33,080 | 94,810 |
| Registered Nurses | $81,780 | 76,310 |
| Cashiers | $30,520 | 69,430 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $36,710 | 67,390 |
| Retail Salespersons | $33,460 | 67,140 |
| Office Clerks, General | $42,370 | 56,050 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $29,890 | 55,780 |
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 27, 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 Missouri relative to the nation is cooks, fast food, with a location quotient of 4.6. That means those jobs make up about 4.6 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 55,780 of them locally, at a median of $29,890. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Missouri.