Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in San Jose (Silicon Valley) (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in San Jose (Silicon Valley) was $84,050 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 transportation, storage, and distribution managers, at a median of $177,400.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by diagnostic medical sonographers at $173,150.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in San Jose (Silicon Valley). Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA had about 1,134,970 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 Jose (Silicon Valley) median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $177,400 | 1,760 | $107,230 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $163,700 | 370 | $106,040 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $157,620 | 300 | $95,320 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $136,140 | 2,590 | $76,210 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $132,670 | 1,050 | $58,940 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $129,750 | 860 | $74,690 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $129,700 | 4,770 | $79,920 |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $124,340 | 1,360 | $59,850 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $116,510 | 13,390 | $69,990 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators | $113,800 | 400 | $53,040 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $113,250 | 380 | $64,820 |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $109,440 | 330 | $62,780 |
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 Jose (Silicon Valley) median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $173,150 | 500 | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $154,850 | 1,000 | $80,110 |
| Firefighters | $152,100 | 1,330 | $59,280 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $149,680 | 1,060 | $82,280 |
| Dental Hygienists | $139,990 | 1,620 | $98,100 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | $124,130 | 1,080 | $76,220 |
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | $122,860 | 600 | $74,090 |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | $115,530 | 480 | $76,870 |
The most common jobs in San Jose (Silicon Valley), for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $213,110 | 87,350 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $37,640 | 49,610 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $44,570 | 23,060 |
| Registered Nurses | $216,740 | 22,930 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $291,660 | 19,070 |
| Retail Salespersons | $44,220 | 18,340 |
| General and Operations Managers | $163,860 | 17,230 |
| Cashiers | $42,960 | 16,530 |
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 Jose (Silicon Valley) relative to the nation is computer hardware engineers, with a location quotient of 14.19. That means those jobs make up about 14.19 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 7,940 of them locally, at a median of $209,860. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk