Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Waterloo

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

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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#19. Preschool teachers, except special education

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $30,440
- #379 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330

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. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $33,110
- #323 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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)

#17. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $41,270
- #216 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#16. Paralegals and legal assistants

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $45,590
- #319 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120

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)

#15. Medical equipment repairers

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $47,010
- #155 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)

#14. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $48,730
- #172 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#13. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $49,420
- #251 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

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. Architectural and civil drafters

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $51,720
- #277 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#11. Physical therapist assistants

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $53,990
- #346 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)

#10. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $54,570
- #377 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)

#9. Occupational therapy assistants

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $55,320
- #192 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#8. Respiratory therapists

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $55,660
- #315 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#7. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $61,240
- #86 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)

#6. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $61,790
- #78 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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. Computer network support specialists

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $62,690
- #214 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#4. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $64,230
- #176 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#3. Mechanical drafters

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $70,920
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#2. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $73,510
- #167 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#1. Dental hygienists

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
- Annual mean salary: $74,890
- #204 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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