What each entry route actually pays
Every occupation the federal government tracks is assigned an entry requirement — the education, training and experience typically needed to get in. Joining that to the wage survey answers the question most salary lists dodge: what can you earn for what you are willing to put in?
Median pay by entry requirement
| Typical entry requirement | Occupations | Median of medians | Best paying |
|---|---|---|---|
| No formal educational credential | 105 | $41,220 | $74,500 |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 325 | $50,080 | $122,890 |
| Some college, no degree | 6 | $47,810 | $61,860 |
| Postsecondary nondegree award | 51 | $60,600 | $123,220 |
| Associate's degree | 48 | $67,820 | $148,080 |
| Bachelor's degree | 177 | $83,680 | $232,140 |
| Master's degree | 40 | $89,320 | $236,590 |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 73 | $103,410 | $559,030 |
The pattern is monotonic on the median column and emphatically not on the last one. The best-paying job requiring only a high school diploma out-earns the median job requiring a master's degree. Averages hide that; the rankings below do not.
Rankings by entry route
About the data
Wages from BLS OEWS (May 2025); entry requirements from BLS Employment Projections. Both are public domain. Rankings exclude occupations employing fewer than 15,000 people nationally, because a median drawn from a very small survey base is not a useful guide.