Got a high school diploma? You might be surprised at how much pay you can earn in Tennessee without any further education.
According to a 2023 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, the education level of 31% of Tennesseans age 25 and older is a high school diploma or its equivalent. While college-going rates have slowly grown in recent years in Tennessee , they are still markedly lower than they were a decade ago. In 2015, Tennessee’s college-going rate was at 64.4%. As of 2023, that rate was at 56.7%.
A recent Pew Research Center survey showed that only one in four adults in the U.S. believe it is “extremely important” or “very important” to have a four-year college degree to get a well-paying job in the current economy. Around 35% said it is “somewhat important,” while 40% said it’s “not too important” or “not at all important.”
While some of Tennessee’s best-paid jobs that don’t require a college degree rival the salaries of other lucrative industries, many likely require extra training and years of experience.