Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Cleveland

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

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 Cleveland-Elyria, OH using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#32. Preschool teachers, except special education

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $31,900
- #309 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,960

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)

#31. Dietetic technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $35,170
- #47 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

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)

#30. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $37,710
- #135 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 920

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)

#29. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $45,720
- #69 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 640

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)

#28. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $47,890
- #94 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210

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. Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $54,120
- #51 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#26. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $54,500
- #44 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#25. Chemical technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $54,540
- #77 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450

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)

#24. Paralegals and legal assistants

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $54,590
- #110 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,680

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)

#23. Broadcast technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $55,170
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

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)

#22. Medical equipment repairers

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $56,850
- #72 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 440

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. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $58,430
- #119 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630

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)

#20. Architectural and civil drafters

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $58,900
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 460

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)

#19. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $59,850
- #100 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#18. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $60,240
- #87 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 520

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)

#17. Mechanical drafters

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $61,290
- #92 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 440

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)

#16. Electrical and electronics drafters

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $62,530
- #54 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#15. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $63,180
- #69 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630

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)

#14. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $63,210
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,910

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)

#13. Physical therapist assistants

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $63,270
- #93 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,210

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)

#12. Occupational therapy assistants

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $63,680
- #91 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 580

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)

#11. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $64,460
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

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)

#10. Avionics technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $64,580
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#9. Computer network support specialists

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $64,880
- #169 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,440

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)

#8. Respiratory therapists

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $66,830
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,450

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. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $68,140
- #117 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340

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. Dental hygienists

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $71,570
- #287 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,720

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. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $73,070
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 810

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)

#4. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $73,980
- #71 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

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

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $80,470
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

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. Radiation therapists

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $85,610
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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. Air traffic controllers

Cleveland-Elyria, OH
- Annual mean salary: $144,490
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 490

National
- Annual mean salary: $127,440
- Employment: 22,190
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($158,210)
--- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($154,180)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($153,770)

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