Want a middle-class income but hate the thought of endless college drudgery? Consider pursuing a career* in one of the following occupations, all with favorable job markets:

  1. First-line supervisors: transportation, material-moving machine, vehicle operators
  2. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers
  3. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
  4. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
  5. Property, real estate, and community association managers
  6. Construction and building inspectors
  7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
  8. Physical therapist assistants
  9. Respiratory therapists
  10. Occupational therapy assistants
  11. Web developers
  12. Diagnostic medical sonographers
  13. Dental hygienists
  14. Computer network support specialists
  15. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
  16. Property, real estate, and community association managers
  17. Construction and building inspectors
  18. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
  19. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
  20. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
  21. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
  22. Billing and posting clerks
  23. Maintenance and repair workers, general
  24. Self-enrichment education teachers
  25. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
  26. Carpenters
  27. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
  28. Sales representatives, services, all other
  29. Electricians
  30. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
  31. Computer user support specialists
  32. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
  33. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
  34. Medical and clinical laboratory technicians
  35. Paralegals and legal assistants
  36. Medical records and health information technicians
  37. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
  38. Massage therapists
  39. Health technologists and technicians, all other
  40. Audio and video equipment technicians
  41. Surgical technologists
  42. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
  43. Firefighters
  44. Opticians, dispensing
  45. Healthcare support workers, all other
  46. Tax preparers
  47. First-line supervisors of personal service workers
  48. Sales and related workers, all other
  49. Community health workers
  50. Highway maintenance workers
  51. Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors
  52. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
  53. Insurance claims and policy processing clerks
  54. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
  55. Loan interviewers and clerks
  56. Solar photovoltaic installers
  57. Information and record clerks, all other
  58. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
  59. Bus drivers, transit and intercity
  60. Automotive body and related repairers
  61. Chefs and head cooks
  62. Real estate sales agents
  63. Security and fire alarm systems installers
  64. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
  65. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
  66. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
  67. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
  68. Sheet metal workers
  69. Tree trimmers and pruners
  70. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
  71. Court, municipal, and license clerks
  72. Dental laboratory technicians
  73. Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers
  74. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
  75. Hazardous materials removal workers
  76. Machinists
  77. Glaziers
  78. Cargo and freight agents
  79. Surveying and mapping technicians
  80. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
  81. Maintenance workers, machinery
  82. Brickmasons and blockmasons
  83. Structural iron and steel workers
  84. Ophthalmic medical technicians
  85. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other
  86. Wind turbine service technicians
  87. Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other
  88. Civil engineering technicians
  89. Architectural and civil drafters
  90. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

Notes and Definitions:

The above list care of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics/Occupational Outlook Handbook Occupation Finder.

Middle-class: I’m calling a single-earner household middle-class if the householder’s median pay (50%ile of the pay range) is sufficient for the household to be in the middle income quintile, which was between $45,600 - $74,875 in 2016.  Median pay is where you’re likely to get after a few years in the occupation, assuming decent skill level and job performance.  Many job holders will eventually earn much higher than the median pay. For example, while the median pay for Computer Network Support Specialists was $62, 670 in 2016, the 75th%ile pay was $82,560, and the 90th%ile was $105,910.

Single-Earner Household: An earner is someone who receives a wage, salary or is self-employed. The idea here is a household achieves middle-class status if just one person works full-time and has worked long and well enough to reach the median pay level in the occupation. Per the Census Bureau, 24% of US households in 2016 had no earners, 36% had one earner, and 40% had two or more earners.

Education Requirements: These occupations all required a High School Diploma or Equivalent, Post-Secondary Training/Certificate, some College, or an Associates Degree – but not a 4-year college degree or higher. On the OOH website, there were some middle-class jobs that did not require even a high school diploma, but I don't want to encourage anyone to drop out of high school. Also, through sheer talent, hard work or luck, some people have successful careers in occupations that typically require more education than they have. But planning to be the exception to a rule is usually not a good move.

Favorable Labor Market Conditions: employment is projected to increase at least 5% and add 5,000 to over 50,000 new jobs over the period of 2016-2026. That’s in addition to job openings created by people leaving the occupation. Although I did not include them in the above list, some occupations with a slower than average growth rate also have a favorable job market because they are very large occupations. For example, over the period of 2016-2026 more than 50,000 new jobs are projected for the middle-class occupation of First-Line Supervisors of Admin Support Workers (2016 median pay: $54,340), although the growth rate for that occupation is slower than average.

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* Pursuing a career path may mean starting in a lower-paying occupation to accumulate the necessary job experience to qualify for the middle-class occupation. This is especially the case for supervisory and management positions.  For example, 90% of restaurant managers started in entry-level positions like food server.