Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Anchorage

Written by:
July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Anchorage

Although it all depends on what you make of it, choosing to further your education may lead to higher paying job opportunities. An associate's degree takes just two years and offers more affordable tuition rates than a four-year school. As of April 2022, the average yearly salary for an individual with an associate's degree comes out to $45,989.

Students have a plethora of specialties to choose from when obtaining a 2-year degree, from industry-specific roles in health care or IT or a more generalized education path. Salaries differ between areas of study, job type, experience, and, of course, location. A Georgetown University study that looked at job growth and education requirements through 2020 stated that 30% of job openings required "at least some college or an associate's degree." Students can choose to head right into the workforce after earning an associate's, or continue their education toward earning a bachelor's degree.

The unemployment rate for associate's degree holders is only 2%, according to research from the Education Data Initiative. Having an associate's degree under your belt is proven to increase one's chance of holding a professional or management position in any number of industries, among them education and health, wholesale retail and trade, and professional and business services.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest and lowest paying jobs that require a 2-year degree in Anchorage, AK using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#21. Preschool teachers, except special education

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $34,420
- #216 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 540

National
- Annual mean salary: $36,550
- Employment: 370,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($49,990)
--- Ocean City, NJ ($49,720)
--- Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ ($49,560)

#20. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $43,460
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

National
- Annual mean salary: $37,860
- Employment: 109,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($57,990)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,220)
--- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ($51,340)

#19. Computer network support specialists

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $50,970
- #411 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,040
- Employment: 184,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($94,120)
--- Barnstable Town, MA ($93,670)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($92,190)

#18. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $51,330
- #10 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $44,170
- Employment: 108,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,080)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,410)
--- Napa, CA ($54,120)

#17. Physical therapist assistants

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $57,440
- #242 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,440
- Employment: 92,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($85,960)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,740)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($76,390)

#16. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $59,140
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

National
- Annual mean salary: $50,960
- Employment: 31,860
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($79,780)
--- Huntsville, AL ($78,320)
--- Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($76,970)

#15. Avionics technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $61,450
- #39 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $69,180
- Employment: 21,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($92,470)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($87,670)
--- California-Lexington Park, MD ($83,930)

#14. Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $63,170
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,790
- Employment: 13,210
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($95,360)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($82,470)
--- Trenton, NJ ($80,110)

#13. Paralegals and legal assistants

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $63,340
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,610
- Employment: 332,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($90,640)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($76,960)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,640)

#12. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $65,380
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,570
- Employment: 17,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($82,240)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($81,340)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($74,280)

#11. Medical equipment repairers

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $68,540
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

National
- Annual mean salary: $55,090
- Employment: 48,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($84,820)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,030)
--- Reno, NV ($83,450)

#10. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $75,330
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,840
- Employment: 206,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($127,890)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($118,480)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($118,100)

#9. Architectural and civil drafters

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $75,650
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,120
- Employment: 99,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC ($76,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,700)
--- Anchorage, AK ($75,650)

#8. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $78,240
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,590
- Employment: 67,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,190)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($83,250)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($81,340)

#7. Respiratory therapists

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $82,370
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,640
- Employment: 131,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($113,450)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,330)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($101,690)

#6. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $83,300
- #17 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

National
- Annual mean salary: $68,310
- Employment: 115,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area ($99,890)
--- Fort Collins, CO ($91,980)
--- Bakersfield, CA ($90,780)

#5. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $86,990
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,940
- Employment: 55,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($99,130)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($94,400)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($92,140)

#4. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $95,440
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $77,790
- Employment: 73,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($138,110)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($137,140)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($131,080)

#3. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $104,800
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

National
- Annual mean salary: $75,960
- Employment: 39,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($133,590)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($127,930)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($120,550)

#2. Dental hygienists

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $116,270
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

National
- Annual mean salary: $78,050
- Employment: 194,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($125,750)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($122,660)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($119,320)

#1. Air traffic controllers

Anchorage, AK
- Annual mean salary: $129,030
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

National
- Annual mean salary: $127,440
- Employment: 22,190
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($158,210)
--- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($154,180)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($153,770)

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