Syda Productions // Shutterstock

Highest paying jobs in Auburn for high school graduates

The average college graduate in 2020 earned $1,305 a week, while the average high school graduate takes home just $781, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Of course, college isn’t for everyone. There are many reasons high-school graduates may choose to not continue on to college, not the least of which being cost. Average tuition costs continue to rise each year, the exception being the 2020-2021 school year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Average tuition at a public, in-state university coming in at $9,687; tuition for out-of-state students at public schools, and for everyone at private universities, is significantly higher at $21,874 and $35,087, respectively.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest paying jobs for high school graduates in Auburn-Opelika, AL using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

Keep reading to see which jobs in your city pay the most for high school graduates.

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Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock

#50. Loan interviewers and clerks

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $35,980
– #411 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $42,780
– Employment: 204,100
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salinas, CA ($59,060)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,140)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,710)

Sabel Blanco // Pexels

#49. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,040
– #303 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,650
– Employment: 248,070
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($69,160)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($68,140)
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($64,980)

Lee Charlie // Shutterstock

#47 (tie). Court, municipal, and license clerks

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,060
– #373 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $43,490
– Employment: 156,100
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($66,520)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($62,040)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($60,730)

Dolly442 // Wikimedia Commons

#47 (tie). Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,060
– #110 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $33,540
– Employment: 75,160
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Nevada nonmetropolitan area ($51,730)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($48,050)
— Rochester, MN ($47,190)

Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock

#46. Recreation workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,290
– #38 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $30,960
– Employment: 325,640
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($50,710)
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($45,730)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($44,200)

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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

#45. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,420
– #238 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $39,000
– Employment: 597,100
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,010)
— Napa, CA ($52,630)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,300)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

#44. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,810
– #296 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,470

National
– Annual mean salary: $40,420
– Employment: 1,850,360
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,720)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,730)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($54,450)

Creative Tools // Flickr

#43. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $37,080
– #135 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 470

National
– Annual mean salary: $35,960
– Employment: 155,020
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Portsmouth, NH-ME ($51,870)
— Cedar Rapids, IA ($51,490)
— South Illinois nonmetropolitan area ($51,430)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection // Wikimedia Commons

#42. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $37,200
– #469 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $44,860
– Employment: 188,450
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($64,510)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,140)
— Decatur, IL ($60,740)

fizkes // Shutterstock

#41. Public safety telecommunicators

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $38,070
– #299 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,800
– Employment: 93,290
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($97,380)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,790)
— Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($76,950)

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Canva

#40. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $38,670
– #490 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 280

National
– Annual mean salary: $55,280
– Employment: 402,870
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,910)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($91,860)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,120)

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

#39. Carpenters

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $38,700
– #478 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 210

National
– Annual mean salary: $54,200
– Employment: 699,300
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($81,730)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,680)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,280)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

#38. Sheet metal workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $39,040
– #359 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $55,320
– Employment: 128,220
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($101,150)
— Kennewick-Richland, WA ($94,930)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($93,840)

Canva

#37. Dental laboratory technicians

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $39,400
– #155 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,230
– Employment: 30,800
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($67,730)
— Idaho Falls, ID ($59,560)
— Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($55,140)

Pixabay

#36. Maintenance and repair workers, general

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $39,460
– #372 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 430

National
– Annual mean salary: $43,790
– Employment: 1,357,630
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($60,230)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($59,870)
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($56,650)

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Rob Kim // Getty Images

#35. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,270
– #438 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 710

National
– Annual mean salary: $47,300
– Employment: 1,063,110
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($57,830)
— Boulder, CO ($56,520)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,930)

New Africa // Shutterstock

#34. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,530
– #308 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,500
– Employment: 141,260
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,770)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($60,250)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($59,160)

Canva

#33. Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $41,370
– #64 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $38,080
– Employment: 57,960
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,360)
— Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($54,750)
— West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($52,920)

Pixabay

#32. Surveying and mapping technicians

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $41,690
– #265 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $49,770
– Employment: 53,370
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,710)
— Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($77,840)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($76,960)

Canva

#31. Computer numerically controlled tool operators

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $42,240
– #238 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 170

National
– Annual mean salary: $44,300
– Employment: 149,120
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($70,030)
— Waco, TX ($63,080)
— Springfield, MA-CT ($57,930)

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Hulton Archive // Getty Images

#30. Electricians

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $42,380
– #514 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 280

National
– Annual mean salary: $61,550
– Employment: 656,510
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,900)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,090)
— Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($86,600)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

#29. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $43,000
– #419 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $54,040
– Employment: 103,730
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Madera, CA ($76,040)
— Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($74,800)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($73,360)

London Metropolitan Archives/Heritage Images // Getty Images

#28. Machinists

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $43,040
– #398 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 300

National
– Annual mean salary: $47,800
– Employment: 360,340
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($76,230)
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($71,070)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,300)

Pixabay

#27. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $43,070
– #382 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 190

National
– Annual mean salary: $46,690
– Employment: 397,550
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
— Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
— West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($71,250)

Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock

#26. Eligibility interviewers, government programs

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $43,530
– #216 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $47,990
– Employment: 138,820
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,570)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($67,900)
— New Haven, CT ($63,790)

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Kot500 // Shutterstock

#25. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $45,560
– #405 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $52,090
– Employment: 253,010
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,900)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($73,400)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,480)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

#24. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $45,590
– #452 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 160

National
– Annual mean salary: $61,100
– Employment: 417,440
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,580)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($89,500)
— Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($89,190)

Canva

#23. Automotive body and related repairers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $47,180
– #252 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $49,430
– Employment: 137,120
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Ann Arbor, MI ($71,350)
— Ames, IA ($68,340)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($68,060)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

#22. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $47,430
– #356 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $52,000
– Employment: 362,090
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
— Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
— West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($67,770)

welcomia // Shutterstock

#21. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $48,420
– #404 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $57,000
– Employment: 147,680
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($86,740)
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,520)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,470)

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GaudiLab // Shutterstock

#20. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $50,890
– #444 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 600

National
– Annual mean salary: $62,010
– Employment: 1,427,260
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($82,050)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($79,520)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,430)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

#19. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $51,300
– #222 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $61,860
– Employment: 122,480
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,680)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($90,370)
— Salinas, CA ($88,050)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

#18. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $52,300
– #181 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $51,890
– Employment: 119,380
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,980)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($92,370)
— Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($87,990)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

#17. Postal service mail carriers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $52,420
– #431 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 150

National
– Annual mean salary: $53,180
– Employment: 333,570
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Modesto, CA ($57,160)
— Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

#16. Industrial machinery mechanics

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $52,510
– #413 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 500

National
– Annual mean salary: $57,350
– Employment: 385,980
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
— Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
— Anchorage, AK ($82,890)

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Canva

#15. Construction and building inspectors

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $53,640
– #330 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 30

National
– Annual mean salary: $66,470
– Employment: 113,770
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New Haven, CT ($121,510)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($107,330)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($106,190)

Prath // Shutterstock

#14. Detectives and criminal investigators

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $54,000
– #328 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $89,300
– Employment: 105,980
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($132,210)
— Anchorage, AK ($127,070)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($123,460)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

#13. Property, real estate, and community association managers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $55,320
– #289 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $73,210
– Employment: 219,800
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
— Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
— Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area ($105,220)

Tim Goode/PA Images // Getty Images

#12. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $56,990
– #383 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 250

National
– Annual mean salary: $70,490
– Employment: 977,070
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
— Boulder, CO ($101,630)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

#11. Chefs and head cooks

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $57,260
– #109 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 30

National
– Annual mean salary: $58,740
– Employment: 101,490
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Leominster-Gardner, MA ($81,020)
— Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area ($79,820)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($79,600)

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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

#10. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $59,420
– #439 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 460

National
– Annual mean salary: $66,800
– Employment: 599,900
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
— Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
— West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($96,900)

goodluz // Shutterstock

#9. Real estate sales agents

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $59,950
– #124 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $62,990
– Employment: 168,740
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Midland, TX ($100,060)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($99,880)
— Worcester, MA-CT ($93,400)

sculpies // Shutterstock

#8. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $61,670
– #430 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 330

National
– Annual mean salary: $72,990
– Employment: 614,080
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,020)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,820)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($101,210)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

#7. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $62,600
– #387 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 270

National
– Annual mean salary: $73,500
– Employment: 1,278,670
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
— Napa, CA ($92,620)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

#6. Food service managers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $63,410
– #140 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 130

National
– Annual mean salary: $61,000
– Employment: 197,010
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)

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Syda Productions // Shutterstock

#5. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $63,510
– #101 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $65,230
– Employment: 503,390
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,590)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($87,760)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($87,420)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

#4. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $64,130
– #461 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $90,120
– Employment: 240,290
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Portland-South Portland, ME ($129,860)
— Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($121,360)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($121,250)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

#3. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $65,890
– #371 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 280

National
– Annual mean salary: $73,100
– Employment: 475,000
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($93,830)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,030)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,870)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#2. Insurance sales agents

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $67,750
– #133 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 120

National
– Annual mean salary: $69,100
– Employment: 409,950
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,230)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,470)
— Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($95,620)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

#1. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

Auburn-Opelika, AL
– Annual mean salary: $73,780
– #232 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $74,410
– Employment: 114,930
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($117,700)
— Salinas, CA ($110,180)
— North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area ($109,740)

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