Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Salt Lake City (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Salt Lake City was $55,240 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 $121,260.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by cardiovascular technologists and technicians at $224,280.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Salt Lake City. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Salt Lake City-Murray, UT)) 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. Salt Lake City-Murray, UT had about 826,210 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 | Salt Lake City median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $121,260 | 440 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $116,950 | 520 | $106,040 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $104,000 | 1,770 | $107,230 |
| Food Service Managers | $92,420 | 1,020 | $69,390 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $88,530 | 1,050 | $87,520 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $81,750 | 710 | $64,820 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $81,660 | 370 | $93,790 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $80,970 | 2,660 | $76,210 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $79,210 | 3,050 | $79,860 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $78,730 | 6,160 | $79,920 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $74,880 | 500 | $74,690 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | $74,460 | 1,840 | $64,520 |
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 | Salt Lake City median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | $224,280 | 810 | $74,310 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $161,640 | 330 | $148,080 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $104,310 | 360 | $93,530 |
| Commercial Pilots | $99,720 | 310 | $123,220 |
| Dental Hygienists | $94,330 | 1,390 | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $91,920 | 330 | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $81,170 | 770 | $80,110 |
| Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers | $80,000 | 1,180 | $63,890 |
The most common jobs in Salt Lake City, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representatives | $45,410 | 26,620 |
| General and Operations Managers | $103,710 | 20,870 |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,420 | 20,330 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,070 | 19,590 |
| Software Developers | $129,600 | 19,040 |
| Office Clerks, General | $45,220 | 16,260 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $44,190 | 15,630 |
| Registered Nurses | $85,890 | 14,070 |
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 Salt Lake City relative to the nation is umpires, referees, and other sports officials, with a location quotient of 5.38. That means those jobs make up about 5.38 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 450 of them locally, at a median of $31,430. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes Salt Lake City-Murray, UT). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk