Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Minneapolis

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

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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#35. Preschool teachers, except special education

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $38,040
- #119 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 6,780

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)

#34. Dietetic technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $39,010
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#33. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $41,220
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,460

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)

#32. Broadcast technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $47,460
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

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)

#31. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $48,540
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,000

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)

#30. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $54,300
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330

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)

#29. Desktop publishers

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $54,890
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210

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)

#28. Occupational therapy assistants

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $56,360
- #176 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400

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)

#27. Forest and conservation technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $56,410
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170

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)

#26. Physical therapist assistants

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $58,370
- #212 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 530

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)

#25. Chemical technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $58,630
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,000

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. Medical equipment repairers

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $58,860
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,020

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)

#23. Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $62,200
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190

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)

#22. Paralegals and legal assistants

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $63,470
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,980

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)

#21. Architectural and civil drafters

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $63,780
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,230

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)

#20. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $64,850
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,340

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)

#19. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $65,520
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

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)

#18. Mechanical drafters

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $66,130
- #46 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 860

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. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $66,560
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 760

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)

#16. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $67,480
- #124 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,140

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)

#15. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $69,740
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 610

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. Avionics technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $70,910
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#13. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $71,980
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,250

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)

#12. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $72,270
- #62 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,340

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)

#11. Respiratory therapists

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $73,760
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 980

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)

#10. Computer network support specialists

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $75,280
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 5,610

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)

#9. Electrical and electronics drafters

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $76,270
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

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. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $79,240
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

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)

#7. Dental hygienists

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $81,470
- #108 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,310

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)

#6. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $82,230
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 500

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)

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

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $82,470
- #2 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)

#4. Radiation therapists

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $83,770
- #51 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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)

#3. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $85,390
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 950

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. Nuclear medicine technologists

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $89,390
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

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)

#1. Air traffic controllers

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Annual mean salary: $145,540
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 540

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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