Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in the San Francisco Bay Area (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area was $74,260 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 $175,840.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by air traffic controllers at $193,360.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in the San Francisco Bay Area. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA had about 2,373,920 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 | the San Francisco Bay Area median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $175,840 | 1,690 | $106,040 |
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $168,270 | 370 | $109,910 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $145,170 | 3,750 | $107,230 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $137,180 | 770 | $95,320 |
| Power Plant Operators | $132,600 | 300 | $102,040 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $132,000 | 7,990 | $76,210 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | $130,800 | 580 | $74,340 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | $129,930 | 980 | $78,620 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $126,700 | 690 | $93,790 |
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | $125,160 | 1,040 | $60,020 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $125,130 | 2,380 | $74,690 |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $124,750 | 4,080 | $59,850 |
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 | the San Francisco Bay Area median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Traffic Controllers | $193,360 | 430 | $148,080 |
| Commercial Pilots | $173,070 | 380 | $123,220 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $160,270 | 1,300 | $96,590 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $159,570 | 810 | $93,530 |
| Dental Hygienists | $146,760 | 3,780 | $98,100 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $146,260 | 420 | $95,480 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $141,780 | 2,850 | $80,110 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $130,220 | 2,010 | $82,280 |
The most common jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $35,950 | 119,120 |
| Software Developers | $186,640 | 69,030 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $43,870 | 49,970 |
| General and Operations Managers | $149,990 | 43,520 |
| Registered Nurses | $186,610 | 41,750 |
| Retail Salespersons | $43,850 | 39,460 |
| Cashiers | $41,270 | 38,250 |
| Office Clerks, General | $52,000 | 37,590 |
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 the San Francisco Bay Area relative to the nation is special effects artists and animators, with a location quotient of 4.71. That means those jobs make up about 4.71 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 1,440 of them locally, at a median of $136,770. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk