Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Iowa City

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

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 Iowa City, IA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#15. Preschool teachers, except special education

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $28,320
- #450 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 380

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)

#14. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $37,490
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#13. Paralegals and legal assistants

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $46,270
- #300 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $49,620
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#11. Medical equipment repairers

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $52,710
- #109 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)

#10. Architectural and civil drafters

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $55,220
- #183 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#9. Physical therapist assistants

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $55,330
- #304 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. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $57,760
- #131 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#7. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $58,310
- #272 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

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)

#6. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $58,400
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#5. Respiratory therapists

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $58,960
- #241 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)

#4. Computer network support specialists

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $60,830
- #255 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250

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)

#3. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $69,440
- #223 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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. Radiation therapists

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $73,800
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#1. Dental hygienists

Iowa City, IA
- Annual mean salary: $76,660
- #166 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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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