High paying transportation jobs in New York with no degree

The best paid transportation occupations in New York that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in New York run 7.9% above the national average (2024), so a New York salary is worth about 0.93× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in New York.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find transportation jobs in New York

OccupationMedian, New York · Employed

1Flight Attendants$126,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,430 – $163,75012,060
2Transportation Inspectors$93,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$66,620 – $97,8403,720
3Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$84,480
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,610 – $84,70016,770
4Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters$80,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$65,610 – $109,7706,980
5First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$67,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,030 – $103,31029,280
6Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$64,950
No formal educational credential
$42,740 – $86,72011,630
7Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$62,050
Postsecondary nondegree award
$47,880 – $88,10063,700
8Bus Drivers, School$56,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,270 – $76,07038,320
9Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$49,030
No formal educational credential
$38,330 – $73,63018,420
10Light Truck Drivers$46,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,070 – $72,89056,490
11Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$44,630
No formal educational credential
$35,360 – $59,330100,950
12Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$44,160
No formal educational credential
$33,750 – $61,32018,130
13Driver/Sales Workers$42,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,210 – $62,39018,990
14Passenger Attendants$41,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,910 – $42,9903,190
15Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$39,390
No formal educational credential
$33,640 – $72,18020,390
16Stockers and Order Fillers$39,030
No formal educational credential
$34,130 – $56,850146,140
17Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other$38,950
No formal educational credential
$32,240 – $59,1103,540
18Packers and Packagers, Hand$37,260
No formal educational credential
$32,830 – $47,72014,830
19Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$37,180
No formal educational credential
$33,090 – $46,4303,770
20Parking Attendants$35,920
No formal educational credential
$33,580 – $42,63012,440

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianNew York	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Flight AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$126,650	$52,430 – $163,750	12,060
2	Transportation InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$93,420	$66,620 – $97,840	3,720
3	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$84,480	$57,610 – $84,700	16,770
4	Railroad Conductors and YardmastersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,000	$65,610 – $109,770	6,980
5	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$67,300	$46,030 – $103,310	29,280
6	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$64,950	$42,740 – $86,720	11,630
7	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$62,050	$47,880 – $88,100	63,700
8	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,640	$46,270 – $76,070	38,320
9	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$49,030	$38,330 – $73,630	18,420
10	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,330	$34,070 – $72,890	56,490
11	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$44,630	$35,360 – $59,330	100,950
12	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$44,160	$33,750 – $61,320	18,130
13	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,730	$33,210 – $62,390	18,990
14	Passenger AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$41,590	$35,910 – $42,990	3,190
15	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$39,390	$33,640 – $72,180	20,390
16	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$39,030	$34,130 – $56,850	146,140
17	Motor Vehicle Operators, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$38,950	$32,240 – $59,110	3,540
18	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$37,260	$32,830 – $47,720	14,830
19	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$37,180	$33,090 – $46,430	3,770
20	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$35,920	$33,580 – $42,630	12,440

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in New York. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for New York

Metro areas in New York

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in New York

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in New York to rank honestly.

High paying transportation jobs in New York with no degree

More for New York

Metro areas in New York

By field in New York

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state with no degree