Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in St. Louis (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in St. Louis was $49,990 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 athletes and sports competitors, at a median of $203,390.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by diagnostic medical sonographers at $98,990.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in St. Louis. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes St. Louis, MO-IL)) 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. St. Louis, MO-IL had about 1,341,320 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 | St. Louis median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | $203,390 | 320 | $66,710 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $110,070 | 2,090 | $107,230 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | $103,960 | 910 | $95,320 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $99,270 | 1,370 | $106,040 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $96,620 | 6,680 | $79,920 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | $89,660 | 330 | $74,340 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $85,490 | 1,320 | $87,520 |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | $82,270 | 4,190 | $59,850 |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $81,640 | 670 | $62,780 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $80,930 | 660 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $80,410 | 4,930 | $79,860 |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | $79,240 | 560 | $58,340 |
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 | St. Louis median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $98,990 | 730 | $96,590 |
| Dental Hygienists | $97,650 | 2,150 | $98,100 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $93,380 | 780 | $93,530 |
| Commercial Pilots | $91,540 | 380 | $123,220 |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $84,020 | 300 | $74,510 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $83,330 | 480 | $95,480 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $79,210 | 1,260 | $82,280 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $77,600 | 890 | $79,870 |
The most common jobs in St. Louis, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $93,140 | 46,410 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $34,490 | 44,200 |
| Registered Nurses | $83,180 | 35,200 |
| Cashiers | $32,380 | 31,130 |
| Retail Salespersons | $33,820 | 29,750 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $37,840 | 28,940 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $45,800 | 23,760 |
| Office Clerks, General | $44,980 | 22,540 |
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 St. Louis relative to the nation is museum technicians and conservators, with a location quotient of 7.09. That means those jobs make up about 7.09 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 750 of them locally, at a median of $50,690. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan-area data (includes St. Louis, MO-IL). Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk