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A college degree isn’t the only path to a six-figure salary, according to a new study.
At least 40 percent of Americans without a bachelor’s degree earn $100,000 or more, LendingTree found.
In total, 5.7 million full-time workers without a bachelor’s degree make six figures — about 9 percent of the workforce.
Among occupations, chief executives and legislators top the list, with 63 percent of those holding the jobs earning six figures without a bachelor’s degree. Architectural and engineering managers follow at 60 percent, and 56 percent of software developers also reach that level.
Metro areas with the highest shares of six-figure earners without a degree include:
- San Francisco — 17 percent
- Seattle — 17 percent
- San Jose, Calif.: 16 percent
At the bottom: Greensboro, N.C., and El Paso, Texas, both at 4 percent, and Lakeland, Fla., at 5 percent.
The gender pay disparity is sharp. Of the 5.7 million six-figure earners without a bachelor’s degree, 4.4 million are men, and only 1.3 million are women.
Men make up 58 percent of the full-time workforce without degrees, but 77 percent of six-figure earners. Women account for 41 percent of the non-degree workforce but only 22 perent of high earners.
“The sky-high cost of a college education has already led many people to question whether the degree is worth it,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief consumer finance analyst.
“There’s no question that data showing that people can make six figures without that college degree will only make more people reconsider that degree,” he added.
