5.7 Million People Are Earning $100,000 Or More Without College Degrees — And These 20 Jobs Pay the Best, New Research Reveals Some young Americans are taking a different approach to professional success.
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- Just 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of a college education is worth it even if people have to take out loans to pay for it, per Pew Research Center.
- About 9% of U.S. workers without a bachelor's degree are earning at least six figures a year, according to a new study from LendingTree.
The average cost of a college education saw a 60% jump between 2000 and 2022 — with one year's tuition and fees spiking to an average of nearly $15,000.
Only 22% of U.S. adults now say the cost of college is worth it even if people have to take out loans to pay for it, according to recent data from the Pew Research Center.
Naturally, many young Americans are considering alternative paths for professional success and financial security.
A new study from online lending marketplace LendingTree found that there were 5.7 million full-time, year-round workers in the U.S. without a bachelor's degree making $100,000 or more in 2023 — totaling 9.1% of all workers who didn't graduate with a bachelor's.
"For the longest time, a college degree was a must-have for many jobs," LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz says. "That's not always the case anymore, and that's great for folks without degrees."
LendingTree's research, which analyzed U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates microdata, also revealed the 20 occupations that are most likely to pay six-figure salaries without requiring college degrees.
Chief executives and legislators ranked first for occupations with the highest percentage of workers without a bachelor's degree earning six figures, at 63.6%, according to the data.
Architectural and engineering managers (60.9%), software developers (56.5%), sales engineers (56.1%), and computer and information systems managers (53.9%) rounded out the top five, per the study.
Check out the 20 best-paying occupations where at least 40% of workers without a bachelor's earn six figures, according to LendingTree's analysis:
Chief executives and legislators
Architectural and engineering managers
Software developers
Sales engineers
Computer and information systems managers
Power plant operators, distributors and dispatchers
Elevator installers and repairers
Computer network architects
Computer hardware engineers
First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
Information security analysts
Petroleum, mining and geological engineers
Locomotive engineers and operators
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
Aerospace engineers
Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists
Sales managers
Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists
Other engineers
