Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in San Diego (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in San Diego was $58,690 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 first-line supervisors of police and detectives, at a median of $148,310.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by diagnostic medical sonographers at $129,630.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in San Diego. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA)) 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. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA had about 1,538,060 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 | San Diego median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $148,310 | 960 | $106,040 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $124,840 | 2,990 | $93,790 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $120,960 | 1,920 | $107,230 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $120,870 | 740 | $95,320 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $110,400 | 4,950 | $76,210 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | $104,840 | 490 | $74,340 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $98,580 | 1,330 | $74,690 |
| Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | $96,580 | 660 | $74,330 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $95,850 | 7,000 | $79,920 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $85,080 | 4,240 | $79,860 |
| Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators | $84,550 | 2,840 | $78,000 |
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $84,540 | 4,510 | $76,590 |
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 | San Diego median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $129,630 | 720 | $96,590 |
| Commercial Pilots | $128,080 | 370 | $123,220 |
| Dental Hygienists | $123,790 | 1,940 | $98,100 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $123,080 | 320 | $95,480 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $113,480 | 1,770 | $80,110 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $105,040 | 1,430 | $82,280 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $99,540 | 710 | $93,530 |
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | $92,390 | 690 | $74,090 |
The most common jobs in San Diego, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $35,300 | 57,080 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $42,190 | 42,550 |
| Retail Salespersons | $37,810 | 34,390 |
| Cashiers | $37,020 | 30,420 |
| Registered Nurses | $139,520 | 28,680 |
| Office Clerks, General | $49,920 | 28,470 |
| General and Operations Managers | $119,600 | 26,230 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $35,850 | 24,050 |
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 San Diego relative to the nation is marriage and family therapists, with a location quotient of 8.1. That means those jobs make up about 8.1 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 5,350 of them locally, at a median of $49,610. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk