Quick answer: The average salary of a high school graduate in the U.S. is about $966 a week, according to 2025 BLS data on median weekly earnings for full-time workers age 25 and over with a high school diploma. Multiply by 52 and that's roughly $50,200 a year, compared with about $82,000 for bachelor's degree holders.
If you've been told your whole life that skipping college means a lifetime of instant noodles, the real numbers are more interesting than that. A high school diploma won't get you the highest median income, but plenty of diploma holders out-earn people with degrees, especially in the trades, sales, and transportation.
This guide breaks down what high school graduates actually earn, how that compares with other education levels, the highest paying jobs that only require a diploma, and how to push your income higher without a four-year degree.
Average Salary of a High School Graduate in 2025
The most reliable figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which publishes earnings by education level from the Current Population Survey.
- Median weekly earnings, high school diploma (2025): $966
- Approximate annual equivalent: about $50,200 (our calculation: $966 × 52)
- Unemployment rate, high school diploma (2025): 4.3%
A few important details about that number:
- It's a median, not an average. Half of workers earn more and half earn less. Medians aren't dragged up by a handful of very high earners, so they're a better picture of "typical."
- It covers full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over. Part-time workers, teens, and the self-employed aren't included, so your first job out of school will likely pay less.
- 2025 is a slightly unusual year. BLS notes that 2025 annual estimates are 11-month averages that exclude October, because October 2025 data weren't collected during the federal government shutdown.
- It's based on highest level of education only. BLS points out these categories don't account for apprenticeships or other on-the-job training, which matters a lot for diploma holders in skilled trades.
You'll see other numbers online. Many older articles cite figures from 2019 or 2020 data, which is why you'll find estimates all over the place. When in doubt, go with the most recent BLS release.
High School Diploma Salary vs. Other Education Levels
Here's how median weekly earnings in 2025 compare across education levels (full-time workers age 25+, BLS). Annual figures are our approximate calculation (weekly × 52).
- Less than a high school diploma: $770 a week (about $40,000 a year). Unemployment rate: 6.1%.
- High school diploma: $966 a week (about $50,200 a year). Unemployment rate: 4.3%.
- Some college, no degree: $1,062 a week (about $55,200 a year). Unemployment rate: 3.8%.
- Associate's degree: $1,135 a week (about $59,000 a year). Unemployment rate: 3.0%.
- Bachelor's degree: $1,578 a week (about $82,100 a year). Unemployment rate: 2.8%.
- Master's degree: $1,876 a week (about $97,600 a year). Unemployment rate: 2.6%.
- Professional degree: $2,294 a week (about $119,300 a year). Unemployment rate: 1.9%.
- Doctoral degree: $2,307 a week (about $120,000 a year). Unemployment rate: 1.8%.
- All workers (total): $1,268 a week (about $65,900 a year). Unemployment rate: 3.4%.
What the gaps mean in real money
- Diploma vs. no diploma: $196 more per week, or roughly $10,000 a year. Finishing high school (or earning a GED) is one of the highest-return moves anyone can make.
- Diploma vs. bachelor's degree: $612 more per week for bachelor's holders, or roughly $31,800 a year.
- Diploma vs. associate's degree: $169 more per week, or roughly $8,800 a year, often for a two-year program.
These are medians across the whole economy. Within a single field, the gap can be much smaller, or even reversed. An experienced electrician with a diploma and a completed apprenticeship can easily out-earn a recent graduate in a lower-paying white-collar job.
High School Graduate Income: What Affects Your Pay
Two people with the same diploma can have wildly different paychecks. The biggest factors:
- Occupation. This is the big one. A diploma plus an apprenticeship in a skilled trade pays very differently from an entry-level retail role.
- Experience. Medians include people in their 50s with decades of experience. Starting pay is lower.
- Location. Wages vary a lot by metro area and state, and so does the cost of living.
- Hours and overtime. Trades, transportation, and public safety jobs often include overtime or shift differentials.
- Union membership. Many trades and utility jobs are unionized, with negotiated wage scales and apprenticeships.
- Certifications and licenses. A CDL, journeyman license, or insurance license can raise your pay without a degree.
Highest Paying Jobs for High School Graduates
Every job below lists "high school diploma or equivalent" (or no formal credential) as the typical entry-level education in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Pay is median annual pay, May 2025. Many require long training, licensing, or years of experience before you reach that median.
Skilled trades and utilities
- Nuclear power reactor operators: $122,890. Long-term on-the-job training and licensing.
- Elevator and escalator installers and repairers: $109,910. Apprenticeship, typically about 4 years.
- Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers: $105,080. Long-term on-the-job training.
- Line installers and repairers: $95,320. Long-term training, often an apprenticeship of up to 3 years.
- Boilermakers: $76,410. Apprenticeship of about 4 years.
- Construction and building inspectors: $74,690. Moderate-term training, usually plus trade experience.
- Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters: $63,800. Apprenticeship.
- Electricians: $63,190. Apprenticeship of 4 to 5 years.
- Carpenters: $60,580. Apprenticeship or on-the-job learning.
- Water and wastewater treatment plant operators: $60,020. Long-term on-the-job training.
- Construction equipment operators: $59,600. Moderate-term training.
For more trades with pay and training details, see our blue collar jobs list.
Transportation and logistics
- Transportation, storage, and distribution managers: $107,230. Requires 5 or more years of related experience.
- Railroad workers: $78,820. Moderate-term on-the-job training.
Sales and business
- Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators: $78,000. Some positions require a bachelor's degree or insurance experience.
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants: $76,590.
- Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives (non-technical products): $72,080.
- Insurance sales agents: $62,280. Licensing required.
- Real estate brokers: $73,220; real estate sales agents: $52,830. Every state requires a license.
Public service
- Police and detectives: $77,310 overall. Entry requirements range from a high school diploma to a college degree depending on the agency.
- Postal service workers: $59,880. No formal educational credential typically required.
Entry-Level Jobs You Can Start Right After Graduation
The jobs above are where many diploma holders end up, not where they start. If you're fresh out of school, these are realistic first steps that can lead somewhere (BLS median annual pay, May 2025):
- Construction laborers and helpers: $46,680. No formal educational credential is typically required, and training happens on the job. Many laborers later move into apprenticeships for carpentry, masonry, or equipment operation.
- Secretaries and administrative assistants: $48,310 overall. A high school diploma is typical. Strong performers can grow into executive assistant roles ($76,590 median for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants).
- Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers: $53,750. A high school diploma plus moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, and specialized welding certifications can raise your pay.
- Real estate sales agents: $52,830. Requires a state license, but no degree. Income often depends on commission, so it varies a lot.
- Postal service workers: $59,880. No formal educational credential typically required, with short-term on-the-job training.
The pattern: the best starter jobs come with a ladder. Before you accept a role, ask what the next step looks like and how long it usually takes to get there.
A 5-Year Plan to Beat the High School Graduate Average
Here's a practical roadmap that works across many fields:
- Year 1: Get in the door. Take a job with training built in, even if the starting pay is modest. Show up on time, every time. Reliability gets noticed faster than you'd think.
- Year 1–2: Add a credential. Earn one certification or license that's in demand in your field, such as a CDL, OSHA card, insurance license, or trade-specific certification.
- Year 2–3: Apply for an apprenticeship or specialized role. Use your work history and references to compete for better-paying positions.
- Year 3–4: Take on responsibility. Volunteer to train new hires, lead small projects, or cover for your supervisor. Document every win on your resume.
- Year 4–5: Negotiate or move. Ask for a raise backed by your results, or apply for a lead or supervisor role elsewhere. Our guide on how to negotiate salary shows how to make the case.
None of this requires a degree. It does require being a little more organized than the version of you who forgot their locker combination for three straight weeks.
Don't Forget Benefits Beyond Salary
When you compare jobs, look past the hourly rate:
- Health insurance: Employer-sponsored coverage can be worth thousands of dollars a year.
- Retirement plans: Union and government jobs often offer pensions or employer contributions to retirement accounts.
- Overtime and shift pay: Trades, utilities, and public safety jobs often pay extra for nights, weekends, and emergencies.
- Paid training: An employer-funded apprenticeship or certification is money you don't have to spend.
- Tuition assistance: Some employers help pay for college courses if you decide to go back to school later.
Two jobs with the same paycheck can be very different deals once benefits are counted.
How to Earn More Than the Average With a High School Diploma
The median is a starting line, not a ceiling. Here's how diploma holders push their income higher.
1. Get into a paid apprenticeship
Apprenticeships let you earn while you learn, with pay that rises as you complete hours and coursework. Electricians, plumbers, elevator installers, and line workers all commonly train this way. No tuition debt, and you finish with a credential employers recognize.
2. Stack short certifications
Many certifications take weeks or months, not years. Think commercial driver's license (CDL), OSHA safety cards, EPA certification for HVAC, insurance or real estate licenses, and IT certifications. Each one can open a better-paying role, and none of them ask you to write a five-paragraph essay about symbolism.
3. Move into supervision
First-line supervisor and manager roles often pay significantly more and value experience over degrees. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers, for example, had a median of $107,230 in May 2025 with a high school diploma as the typical entry education plus 5 or more years of experience.
4. Consider an associate's degree
If you want a credential but not a four-year commitment, an associate's degree came with median earnings of $1,135 a week in 2025 versus $966 for a diploma. Some associate's degree jobs, like dental hygienists ($98,100) and radiation therapists ($105,310), pay far more than that.
5. Look at commission-based sales
Sales roles reward results, not diplomas. Pay can swing more than in salaried jobs, but strong performers can out-earn many degree holders.
6. Work in a higher-paying location or industry
The same job can pay very differently across metro areas, and utilities, energy, and transportation often pay more than retail or hospitality for similar skill levels.
Is College Worth It Compared With a Diploma?
(Switches to serious face.) Based on the BLS medians, bachelor's degree holders earned about $612 more per week than high school graduates in 2025, and their unemployment rate was lower (2.8% vs. 4.3%). That's a real, consistent gap.
But the decision isn't just about the median:
- Cost matters. Tuition, living costs, and years of lower income while studying all reduce the payoff, especially if you borrow heavily.
- Field matters. Some degrees lead to high-paying careers; others don't pay much more than a skilled trade.
- Timing matters. Apprentices start earning right away. Graduates start later but may earn more over a career.
- Fit matters. If you love hands-on work, a trade may make you happier and wealthier than a degree you don't use.
The honest answer: college pays off on average, but "average" isn't you. Compare specific careers, not education levels.
How to Write a Resume as a High School Graduate
When you don't have a degree, your resume needs to show skills, reliability, and results.
- Lead with a strong summary. Two or three lines on what you do well and what role you want. Our guide on how to write a resume summary has examples.
- Put certifications up top. CDL, OSHA, first aid, forklift, or any license is a selling point.
- Show results, not chores. "Trained 4 new hires" beats "helped with training."
- Use projects and volunteer work if your job history is thin. See our guide to writing a resume with no experience.
- Match the job's keywords so applicant tracking systems don't filter you out. Here's how resume keywords work.
Ready for bigger moves? Check our list of the best high paying jobs and our guide to salary negotiation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a high school graduate make a year?
BLS data for 2025 show median weekly earnings of $966 for full-time workers age 25 and over whose highest education is a high school diploma. That works out to roughly $50,200 a year if you multiply by 52. Younger and part-time workers typically earn less.
How much more do high school graduates earn than dropouts?
In 2025, workers with a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $966, versus $770 for those without one. That's a difference of $196 a week, or roughly $10,000 a year. Diploma holders also had a lower unemployment rate (4.3% vs. 6.1%).
How much more do college graduates earn than high school graduates?
Bachelor's degree holders had median weekly earnings of $1,578 in 2025, compared with $966 for high school graduates. That's about $612 more per week, or roughly $31,800 a year. The gap varies a lot by field and occupation.
What is the highest paying job with just a high school diploma?
Among BLS occupational profiles that list a high school diploma as the typical entry education, nuclear power reactor operators ($122,890) and elevator and escalator installers ($109,910) are near the top for May 2025. Both require years of training or licensing.
Can you make $100,000 a year with a high school diploma?
Yes, though it usually takes specialized training, licensing, or experience. Elevator installers, power plant operators, nuclear reactor operators, and transportation, storage, and distribution managers all had May 2025 medians above $100,000 with a high school diploma as the typical entry education.
Does a GED pay the same as a high school diploma?
Many employers and apprenticeship programs accept a GED as equivalent to a diploma, and BLS occupational profiles typically list "high school diploma or equivalent." Either one opens the door to the jobs in this guide.
Is $50,000 a good salary for a high school graduate?
It's right around the 2025 median for full-time workers age 25 and over with a diploma, so it's a solid, typical income. Whether it feels comfortable depends heavily on where you live and your expenses. With training and experience, many diploma holders earn well above it.
What is the average salary for an 18-year-old high school graduate?
The BLS education figures only cover workers 25 and older, so they overstate what most 18-year-olds earn. Entry-level pay is usually lower and depends heavily on the job, location, and hours.
Turn Your Diploma Into a Bigger Paycheck
A high school diploma plus the right skills can take you a long way. Use our Resume Builder to showcase your certifications, experience, and results so employers see what you're worth.