Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in New York City

Written by:
July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in New York 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#37. Forest and conservation technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $43,450
- #90 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#36. Preschool teachers, except special education

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $45,300
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 27,430

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)

#35. Dietetic technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $45,900
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 730

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)

#34. Veterinary technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $46,410
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 5,030

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)

#33. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $50,430
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 8,820

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)

#32. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $57,280
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 440

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)

#31. Chemical technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $58,270
- #43 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,230

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)

#30. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $58,920
- #102 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 850

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)

#29. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $59,480
- #108 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,330

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)

#28. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $60,170
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,640

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)

#27. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $64,060
- #57 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,740

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)

#26. Architectural and civil drafters

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $65,850
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 7,660

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)

#25. Paralegals and legal assistants

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $66,660
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 29,240

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)

#24. Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $67,700
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $70,680
- Employment: 11,900
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($106,970)
--- Oklahoma City, OK ($93,540)
--- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL ($92,190)

#23. Physical therapist assistants

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $68,380
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,260

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)

#22. Medical equipment repairers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $68,450
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,700

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)

#21. Embalmers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $70,000
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

National
- Annual mean salary: $50,220
- Employment: 3,860
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ($86,140)
--- St. Louis, MO-IL ($72,090)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,000)

#20. Desktop publishers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $70,880
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 860

National
- Annual mean salary: $50,600
- Employment: 7,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,880)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($68,860)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($66,400)

#19. Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $70,990
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

National
- Annual mean salary: $62,800
- Employment: 13,160
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($99,720)
--- West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area ($99,380)
--- Midland, TX ($98,040)

#18. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $72,650
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,130

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)

#17. Occupational therapy assistants

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $72,790
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,850

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)

#16. Mechanical drafters

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $74,430
- #10 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,660

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)

#15. Broadcast technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $75,430
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,060

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)

#14. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $76,690
- #46 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,860

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)

#13. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $76,720
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,900

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)

#12. Avionics technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $76,790
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240

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)

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

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $79,360
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630

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)

#10. Radiologic technologists and technicians

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $80,390
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 15,050

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. Electrical and electronics drafters

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $83,760
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 940

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)

#8. Respiratory therapists

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $86,220
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 6,960

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. Diagnostic medical sonographers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $88,490
- #55 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 6,070

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)

#6. Dental hygienists

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $91,530
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 9,570

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)

#5. Computer network support specialists

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $92,190
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 10,900

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. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $93,150
- #17 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,210

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)

#3. Nuclear medicine technologists

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $100,370
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 990

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)

#2. Funeral home managers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $112,820
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 820

National
- Annual mean salary: $91,530
- Employment: 10,010
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($116,760)
--- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ ($115,400)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($112,820)

#1. Radiation therapists

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Annual mean salary: $128,010
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,240

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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