Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Visalia

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

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 Visalia-Porterville, CA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#21. Dietetic technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $36,850
- #29 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#20. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $37,990
- #127 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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. Preschool teachers, except special education

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $39,990
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230

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)

#18. Forest and conservation technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $40,810
- #127 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

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)

#17. Chemical technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $42,530
- #243 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#16. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $44,330
- #97 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

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)

#15. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $44,430
- #163 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,000
- Employment: 24,560
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area ($82,420)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($79,240)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($73,940)

#14. Paralegals and legal assistants

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $52,520
- #143 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#13. Architectural and civil drafters

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $57,130
- #134 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#12. Computer network support specialists

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $61,740
- #238 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#11. Mechanical drafters

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $63,130
- #70 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#10. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $63,710
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#9. Physical therapist assistants

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $71,590
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#8. Medical equipment repairers

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $71,810
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#7. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $71,820
- #79 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#6. Respiratory therapists

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $73,240
- #44 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160

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)

#5. Occupational therapy assistants

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $74,050
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#4. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $83,030
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170

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)

#3. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $89,850
- #44 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#2. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $93,530
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#1. Dental hygienists

Visalia-Porterville, CA
- Annual mean salary: $97,440
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200

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)

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