Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Washington, D.C. (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Washington, D.C. was $91,540 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 detectives and criminal investigators, at a median of $160,760.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by paralegals and legal assistants at $89,750.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Washington, D.C.. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for District of Columbia) 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 state that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. District of Columbia had about 701,920 wage and salary jobs in the survey.
Top-paying jobs that need a high school diploma or less
Jobs with at least 1,000 positions in the state, ranked by median annual wage. The last column shows the national median for comparison.
| Occupation | Washington, D.C. median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $160,760 | 2,980 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $134,760 | 1,230 | $106,040 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $101,020 | 1,010 | $63,800 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $99,280 | 1,940 | $55,570 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | $94,080 | 2,040 | $69,990 |
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $90,850 | 4,560 | $76,590 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $88,650 | 4,720 | $76,210 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $86,520 | 1,420 | $79,920 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | $83,460 | 1,260 | $79,860 |
| Food Service Managers | $81,680 | 1,000 | $69,390 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $79,200 | 4,080 | $69,500 |
| Electricians | $78,970 | 2,440 | $63,190 |
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 | Washington, D.C. median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $89,750 | 6,400 | $62,890 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | $80,950 | 3,140 | $61,860 |
| Firefighters | $75,870 | 1,480 | $59,280 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $75,740 | 1,040 | $64,400 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $65,180 | 1,790 | $50,670 |
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | $62,150 | 2,350 | $38,140 |
| Medical Assistants | $51,050 | 2,260 | $45,690 |
| Nursing Assistants | $47,700 | 3,490 | $42,260 |
The most common jobs in Washington, D.C., for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $168,000 | 36,150 |
| Lawyers | $195,190 | 33,070 |
| Management Analysts | $126,140 | 19,000 |
| Public Relations Specialists | $102,740 | 16,720 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $38,520 | 16,400 |
| Security Guards | $64,210 | 15,880 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $42,700 | 12,810 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $59,910 | 11,800 |
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 28, 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 Washington, D.C. relative to the nation is political scientists, with a location quotient of 122.81. That means those jobs make up about 122.81 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 3,070 of them locally, at a median of $152,530. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for District of Columbia. Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk