No Degree Needed?
In this blog, we cut through social media hype to share what the data actually show about six-figure earners without a college degree in Los Angeles County—and five realities that shape who reaches $100K with only a high school diploma.
5 Things to Know About High-Wage Earners Without a College Degree in Los Angeles County
Did you know that 70% of young adults use social media to find career information? This online word of mouth provides information that may be unavailable within people’s immediate social circle, but it can also distort perceptions due to engagement-driven bias. A quick look at posts asking about high-wage jobs available to those with only a high school diploma reveals that these jobs are often portrayed as far more common than data suggest, contributing to an inflated sense of accessibility and likelihood.
In a recent LinkedIn post, I shared national data on six-figure earners with a high school diploma. This blog post shifts the focus to Los Angeles, where factors such as Hollywood and influencer culture can shape career narratives and make financial success appear more quickly accessible through likes and views than through traditional education or career pathways.
Much of the job information shared on social media often lacks critical context such as location, union status, years of experience, and other job characteristics that shape what someone can realistically expect to earn in that job. But even considering these factors, achieving earning over six-figures with only a high school diploma is still less common than it might seem online.
Here are five things that social media doesn’t always tell you about who is actually making six figures with only a high school diploma.
Relatively few people with a high school diploma make over $100K compared to workers with higher levels of education.
Following national trends, just 1 in 15 workers* in Los Angeles County with only a high school diploma earn more than $100K per year. Even modest additional education, such as some college or a certificate, increases the likelihood of reaching this threshold. For those with a bachelor’s degree, the share rises sharply, with about 1 in 3 earning over $100K annually.
Those earning $100K per year with only a high school diploma are concentrated across a small number of jobs.
High-earning individuals with only a high school diploma are concentrated in management, construction and the trades, transportation, and sales. However, not everyone—or even the majority in most cases—earns six figures in these roles. For example, about 1 in 7 carpenters with only a high school diploma earn over $100K, compared to roughly 1 in 3 construction managers. While some of these careers may appear to offer a quick path to high wages, the highest rates of high school diploma holders earning $100K are among those ages 45 to 54.
Men with only a high school diploma are far more likely to cross the $100K threshold than women with only a high school diploma.
Just 1 in 25 women with only a high school diploma make $100K or more annually. Further, women make up only one quarter of high-wage workers with only a high school diploma. Given that many of the common fields for high-wage workers with only a high school diploma are heavily male dominated, there appears to be a structural gap for women to access higher wage opportunities. High-wage-earning women with a high-school diploma work primarily within management or office roles. And, unique to Los Angeles, a small number work within media and entertainment.
Those earning $100K per year with only a high school diploma are more likely to be self-employed than the rest of the workforce.
Entrepreneurship content is widespread across social media. A 2022 survey found that three in five teens would prefer owning their own business over a traditional job, and more than one-third cite social media influencers as their top sources of inspiration. Among high-wage workers with only a high school diploma, about 21% are self-employed, considerably higher than the roughly 13% of all workers who are both high-wage and self-employed. However, many of these workers are concentrated in construction and the trades, highlighting a gap between the types of entrepreneurial success often seen online and the realities of the labor market.
There is potential for a rise in high-wage, nondegree work.
In most industrialized countries, the wage premium for college education tends to be smaller than in the United States, raising a question of whether this premium will persist or subside over time in the United States. Workforce projections suggest that many of the fields in which high-wage workers with only a high school diploma are concentrated, such as construction and transportation, are less likely to be impacted by AI. At the same time, the workforce in the United States is aging, and high rates of college enrollment have contributed to labor shortages in fields like construction and the trades. Taken together, these dynamics may increase the number of high-wage workers without a college degree.
* The figures throughout this piece are based on the author’s analysis of 2024 American Community Survey one-year estimates.
Sterling Smith equips educators and workforce professionals with insight into their institutions, communities, and economies. His expertise supports more effective strategies, the adoption of high-impact practices, and the development of efficient systems that drive economic vitality for individuals and communities alike. Sterling has a BS in agricultural economics from Washington State University, where he researched how college debt influences entrepreneurship as a career path.