Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Riverside

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

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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#31. Preschool teachers, except special education

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $40,460
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,440

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)

#30. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $40,670
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 720

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)

#29. Dietetic technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $40,830
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300

National
- Annual mean salary: $32,920
- Employment: 26,430
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,550)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,700)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($48,370)

#28. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $46,300
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,270

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)

#27. Forest and conservation technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $47,670
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 560

National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 30,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($68,370)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($66,570)
--- Corvallis, OR ($62,260)

#26. Chemical technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $48,990
- #172 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 420

National
- Annual mean salary: $53,700
- Employment: 63,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($86,340)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($79,390)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($78,000)

#25. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $50,720
- #65 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 540

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)

#24. Broadcast technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $50,740
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $49,250
- Employment: 25,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($75,430)
--- Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY ($70,990)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,950)

#23. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $58,690
- #108 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,880
- Employment: 39,880
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($112,580)
--- North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area ($91,580)
--- New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($91,550)

#22. Mechanical drafters

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $60,790
- #97 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 490

National
- Annual mean salary: $61,490
- Employment: 51,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,540)
--- Corpus Christi, TX ($90,720)
--- New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($82,590)

#21. Architectural and civil drafters

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $61,540
- #56 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 950

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)

#20. Electrical and electronics drafters

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $62,520
- #55 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,720
- Employment: 23,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($98,380)
--- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($86,920)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($83,760)

#19. Medical equipment repairers

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $64,290
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 530

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)

#18. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $64,800
- #17 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#17. Paralegals and legal assistants

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $65,620
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,110

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)

#16. Computer network support specialists

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $65,630
- #154 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 870

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)

#15. Occupational therapy assistants

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $67,140
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

National
- Annual mean salary: $63,420
- Employment: 42,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($85,570)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($77,720)
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($77,650)

#14. Avionics technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $67,900
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120

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)

#13. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $68,020
- #33 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,920
- Employment: 62,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS ($94,360)
--- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($90,460)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($86,020)

#12. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $68,320
- #53 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 380

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)

#11. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $70,110
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 700

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)

#10. Physical therapist assistants

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $70,370
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 640

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)

#9. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- #75 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 700

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)

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

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $78,160
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190

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)

#7. Respiratory therapists

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $83,110
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,540

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. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $87,360
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,670

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)

#5. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $94,440
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210

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)

#4. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $94,930
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 610

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. Dental hygienists

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $107,330
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,040

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)

#2. Nuclear medicine technologists

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $109,010
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120

National
- Annual mean salary: $82,080
- Employment: 17,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($149,860)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($148,240)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($135,080)

#1. Radiation therapists

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Annual mean salary: $127,730
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

National
- Annual mean salary: $94,300
- Employment: 17,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($169,080)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($159,660)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($131,960)

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