Criminal Investigators Earn on Average $74,300 per year

Most top paying jobs require more than high school degree and graduating from college is a prerequisite. However, there are still employment opportunities that earn top dollar for those who do not continue with college education.

24/7 Wall St.com reviewed 2012 occupational profiles from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to identify the jobs that pay the most money and generally do not require any more formal education than a high school diploma (Finance.Yahoo.com).

Here are the results:

7. Subway and Streetcar Operators Median annual income: $62,730

6. Fashion Designers Median annual income: $62,860

5. Power Distributors and Dispatchers Median annual income: $71,690

4. Detectives and Criminal Investigators Median annual income: $74,300

3. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators Median annual income: $74,990

2. Elevator Installers and Repairers Median annual income: $76,650

1. Airline Pilots, Copilots and Flight Engineers Median annual income: $114,200 (most pilots have college degrees, but military training can provide a pathway to a career)