Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Salem

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

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

#16. Preschool teachers, except special education

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $34,890
- #202 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 390

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. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $38,320
- #118 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)

#14. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $46,110
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

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)

#13. Forest and conservation technicians

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $46,850
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#12. Architectural and civil drafters

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $55,090
- #188 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)

#11. Physical therapist assistants

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $58,000
- #226 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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. Paralegals and legal assistants

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $58,760
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 430

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)

#9. Mechanical drafters

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $62,510
- #78 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

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

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $62,780
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#7. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $70,600
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190

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)

#6. Computer network support specialists

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $73,270
- #53 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

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)

#5. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $78,350
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#4. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $83,910
- #10 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#3. Dental hygienists

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $90,150
- #55 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

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)

#2. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $94,700
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#1. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Salem, OR
- Annual mean salary: $98,720
- #18 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)

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