Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Lansing

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

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 Lansing-East Lansing, MI using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#24. Preschool teachers, except special education

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $39,550
- #84 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450

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)

#23. Forest and conservation technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $41,640
- #113 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#22. Chemical technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $42,190
- #247 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#21. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $42,990
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250

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)

#20. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $43,070
- #139 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

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)

#19. Architectural and civil drafters

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $51,850
- #275 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#18. Mechanical drafters

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $52,810
- #194 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#17. Physical therapist assistants

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $55,030
- #312 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)

#16. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $56,380
- #130 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#15. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $56,870
- #150 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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)

#14. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $57,410
- #19 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#13. Paralegals and legal assistants

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $58,390
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

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. Broadcast technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $59,090
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#11. Computer network support specialists

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $59,820
- #281 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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)

#10. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $60,700
- #192 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240

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. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $60,810
- #89 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

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. Medical equipment repairers

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $60,980
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#7. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $61,250
- #34 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)

#6. Respiratory therapists

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $62,860
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160

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)

#5. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $63,440
- #194 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#4. Dental hygienists

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $67,850
- #380 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360

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)

#3. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $67,910
- #244 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#2. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $68,640
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#1. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Lansing-East Lansing, MI
- Annual mean salary: $70,050
- #106 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

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