Searching for a job in Atlanta? Thankfully, there are a wide variety of good paying jobs in the area, especially 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 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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Postal service clerks
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $55,130
- #67 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,070
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,200
- Employment: 86,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houma-Thibodaux, LA ($59,410)
--- Florence, SC ($59,360)
--- Monroe, MI ($59,320)
Electricians
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $55,960
- #271 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 10,810
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)
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $56,150
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $36,950
- Employment: 38,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH ($57,520)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($56,150)
--- Reading, PA ($53,660)
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $56,350
- #231 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,290
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)
Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $56,370
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,580
- Employment: 24,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($56,580)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($56,370)
--- Madison, WI ($54,930)
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Advertising sales agents
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $56,450
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,250
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,040
- Employment: 110,040
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($97,840)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($97,720)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($83,050)
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $56,790
- #73 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,420
- Employment: 22,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area ($85,480)
--- Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area ($77,330)
--- Longview, WA ($74,500)
Chefs and head cooks
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $57,230
- #110 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,130
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)
Industrial machinery mechanics
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $57,580
- #224 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 5,800
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)
First-line supervisors of correctional officers
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $57,810
- #136 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 560
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,600
- Employment: 53,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($114,400)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($113,220)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($112,950)
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Private detectives and investigators
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $58,370
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 800
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,100
- Employment: 32,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Jackson, MI ($93,360)
--- Bakersfield, CA ($91,080)
--- Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO ($87,760)
Real estate sales agents
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Annual mean salary: $58,930
- #136 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,580
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)
More
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