Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Fayetteville, North Carolina

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July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Fayetteville, North Carolina

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

#16. Preschool teachers, except special education

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $26,350
- #482 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630

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)

#15. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $40,990
- #228 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170

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)

#14. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $44,130
- #166 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#13. Paralegals and legal assistants

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $46,420
- #295 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300

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. Medical equipment repairers

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $49,040
- #147 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#11. Architectural and civil drafters

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $52,060
- #270 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)

#10. Chemical technicians

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $53,000
- #96 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

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)

#9. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $53,130
- #188 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)

#8. Respiratory therapists

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $53,800
- #345 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

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. Physical therapist assistants

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $56,760
- #265 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#6. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $61,400
- #181 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)

#5. Occupational therapy assistants

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $61,920
- #113 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. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $65,120
- #161 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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. Computer network support specialists

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $65,330
- #162 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)

#2. Dental hygienists

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $65,350
- #433 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280

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)

#1. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Fayetteville, NC
- Annual mean salary: $67,400
- #258 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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)

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