sculpies // Shutterstock

Highest-paying jobs in Gadsden that don’t require a college degree

From the moment they arrive on campus, today’s high school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, and coaches. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students’ future careers, it’s not necessary for all fields — something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.

To find the highest paying jobs that don’t require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don’t require higher education. All professions that listed a high school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn’t list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

Keep reading to discover the highest paying jobs in Gadsden, AL that don’t require a college degree.

You may also like: People from these metros are finding new jobs in Gadsden

OLIVIER DOULIERY // Getty Images

#50. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $30,780
– #498 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 420

National
– Annual mean salary: $39,150
– Employment: 1,040,600
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($52,950)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,140)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($50,430)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#49. Driver/sales workers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $31,090
– #227 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 120

National
– Annual mean salary: $31,970
– Employment: 477,020
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bismarck, ND ($48,560)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($46,390)
— Fargo, ND-MN ($46,360)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

#48. Pharmacy technicians

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $31,150
– #501 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 170

National
– Annual mean salary: $37,970
– Employment: 436,630
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($59,340)
— Napa, CA ($58,620)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($58,390)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

#47. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $31,750
– #509 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 200

National
– Annual mean salary: $44,810
– Employment: 551,380
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Odessa, TX ($70,950)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($66,260)
— Bismarck, ND ($64,940)

PxHere

#46. Structural metal fabricators and fitters

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $31,840
– #263 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,730
– Employment: 61,070
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($59,130)
— Anchorage, AK ($57,900)
— Longview, WA ($57,410)

You may also like: How Gadsden feels about climate change

Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock

#45. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $32,600
– #399 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $52,540
– Employment: 155,250
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,320)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($77,210)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($72,760)

Fusionstudio // Shutterstock

#44. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $32,700
– #490 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 110

National
– Annual mean salary: $38,210
– Employment: 795,360
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($51,470)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($48,440)
— Anchorage, AK ($47,150)

fizkes // Shutterstock

#43. Public safety telecommunicators

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $32,900
– #389 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $47,030
– Employment: 97,050
– 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)

Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock

#42. Loan interviewers and clerks

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $33,340
– #452 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $44,910
– Employment: 238,610
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Salinas, CA ($59,060)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,140)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,710)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

#41. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $33,390
– #415 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 110

National
– Annual mean salary: $39,740
– Employment: 656,640
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,010)
— Napa, CA ($52,630)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,300)

You may also like: Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Gadsden metro area

ESB Basic // Shutterstock

#40. Customer service representatives

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $33,660
– #385 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 320

National
– Annual mean salary: $39,070
– Employment: 2,787,070
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($52,630)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($50,510)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($47,490)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

#39. Billing and posting clerks

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $34,050
– #484 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $42,750
– Employment: 429,080
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,850)
— Santa Rosa, CA ($55,130)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($54,960)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

#38. Dental assistants

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $34,500
– #472 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $42,510
– Employment: 347,170
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,150)
— Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($55,020)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,590)

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

#37. Carpenters

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $34,530
– #520 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $55,190
– Employment: 668,060
– 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)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $35,060
– #391 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 720

National
– Annual mean salary: $41,080
– Employment: 1,825,980
– 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)

You may also like: Where people in Gadsden are moving to most

Canva

#35. Computer numerically controlled tool operators

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $35,790
– #345 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $46,240
– Employment: 157,840
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($70,030)
— Waco, TX ($63,080)
— Springfield, MA-CT ($57,930)

Pixabay

#34. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,170
– #514 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 150

National
– Annual mean salary: $48,290
– Employment: 397,600
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
— Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($66,920)

nullplus // Shutterstock

#33. Light truck drivers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,310
– #421 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 240

National
– Annual mean salary: $42,630
– Employment: 1,010,040
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($51,860)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($51,560)
— Waterbury, CT ($50,100)

Pixabay

#32. Maintenance and repair workers, general

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,350
– #472 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 270

National
– Annual mean salary: $44,920
– Employment: 1,416,740
– 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)

Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

#31. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $36,360
– #498 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 300

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,140
– Employment: 1,509,370
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($59,750)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,670)
— Napa, CA ($54,940)

You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in Gadsden

Rob Kim // Getty Images

#30. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $37,390
– #506 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 480

National
– Annual mean salary: $46,890
– Employment: 1,143,260
– 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)

London Metropolitan Archives/Heritage Images // Getty Images

#29. Machinists

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $38,500
– #481 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $49,020
– Employment: 333,220
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($71,070)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,300)
— Monroe, MI ($66,560)

New Africa // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,000
– #338 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $45,100
– Employment: 153,640
– 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)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

#27. Sheet metal workers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,010
– #351 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $58,760
– Employment: 122,630
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($101,150)
— Kennewick-Richland, WA ($94,930)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($93,840)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#26. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,160
– #508 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 240

National
– Annual mean salary: $51,850
– Employment: 641,240
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Napa, CA ($76,890)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,880)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,410)

You may also like: Zip codes with the most expensive homes in Gadsden metro area

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

#25. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,240
– #512 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $63,350
– Employment: 417,620
– 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)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

#24. Automotive service technicians and mechanics

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,460
– #465 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 180

National
– Annual mean salary: $47,990
– Employment: 629,780
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($62,810)
— Fairbanks, AK ($62,690)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,350)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

#23. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $40,830
– #504 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $53,020
– Employment: 261,420
– 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)

Canva

#22. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $41,810
– #418 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $56,280
– Employment: 404,820
– 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)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

#21. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $42,090
– #387 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 30

National
– Annual mean salary: $52,320
– Employment: 121,150
– 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)

You may also like: Highest-earning zip codes in Gadsden metro area

David Spates // Shutterstock

#20. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $43,750
– #447 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 60

National
– Annual mean salary: $54,690
– Employment: 356,960
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,020)
— Fairbanks, AK ($76,750)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,710)

Hulton Archive // Getty Images

#19. Electricians

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $43,800
– #505 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 150

National
– Annual mean salary: $63,310
– Employment: 650,580
– 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)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#18. Insurance sales agents

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $44,380
– #487 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 110

National
– Annual mean salary: $69,340
– Employment: 422,600
– 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)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

#17. Industrial machinery mechanics

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $44,390
– #516 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 290

National
– Annual mean salary: $58,780
– Employment: 373,090
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
— Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
— Anchorage, AK ($82,890)

Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock

#16. Eligibility interviewers, government programs

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $44,470
– #195 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 50

National
– Annual mean salary: $48,570
– Employment: 151,340
– 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)

You may also like: Cities with the most expensive homes in Gadsden metro area

Canva

#15. Tool and die makers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $44,600
– #237 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $56,150
– Employment: 63,630
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,920)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($72,510)
— Santa Rosa, CA ($71,910)

welcomia // Shutterstock

#14. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $44,640
– #461 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $57,280
– Employment: 145,230
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Fairbanks, AK ($86,740)
— Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,520)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,470)

Pixabay

#13. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $46,040
– #359 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 530

National
– Annual mean salary: $50,340
– Employment: 1,903,420
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ($62,600)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($62,290)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($61,540)

Canva

#12. Automotive body and related repairers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $47,740
– #226 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $50,660
– Employment: 137,300
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Ann Arbor, MI ($71,350)
— Ames, IA ($68,340)
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($68,060)

Daniel Tausis // Unsplash

#11. Firefighters

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $48,020
– #205 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 160

National
– Annual mean salary: $55,290
– Employment: 317,310
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($114,210)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($98,150)
— Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($97,470)

You may also like: Metros sending the most people to Gadsden

Tim Goode/PA Images // Getty Images

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $48,140
– #503 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 120

National
– Annual mean salary: $71,110
– Employment: 1,026,390
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
— Boulder, CO ($101,630)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $48,310
– #388 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $70,030
– Employment: 234,680
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
— Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($103,610)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $48,580
– #497 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 280

National
– Annual mean salary: $63,380
– Employment: 1,443,630
– 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)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

#7. Postal service mail carriers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $54,580
– #116 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 130

National
– Annual mean salary: $54,370
– Employment: 335,540
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Modesto, CA ($57,160)
— Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $56,130
– #500 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 210

National
– Annual mean salary: $72,390
– Employment: 1,242,490
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
— Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
— Napa, CA ($92,620)

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Gadsden in the last week

sculpies // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $57,150
– #503 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 150

National
– Annual mean salary: $75,060
– Employment: 665,870
– 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)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

#4. Food service managers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $59,170
– #230 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $63,970
– Employment: 210,680
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
— Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)

Stealth Communications // Wikimedia Commons

#3. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $59,470
– #192 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 40

National
– Annual mean salary: $60,350
– Employment: 172,830
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Anchorage, AK ($88,140)
— Fairbanks, AK ($84,690)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($80,570)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $60,450
– #501 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 140

National
– Annual mean salary: $73,590
– Employment: 526,240
– 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)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

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

Gadsden, AL
– Annual mean salary: $61,440
– #389 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 230

National
– Annual mean salary: $67,330
– Employment: 629,420
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
— Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
— Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($90,410)

You may also like: Closest national parks to Gadsden