Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Portsmouth

Written by:
February 1, 2021
Updated on February 2, 2021
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth, NH-ME using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#16. Preschool teachers, except special education

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $33,760
- #244 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260

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

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $41,870
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

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

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $43,510
- #126 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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. Architectural and civil drafters

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $57,980
- #118 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120

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)

#12. Medical equipment repairers

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $57,990
- #58 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. Physical therapist assistants

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $60,080
- #164 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $61,180
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

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. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $68,140
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#8. Chemical technicians

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $68,330
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#7. Computer network support specialists

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $71,260
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160

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)

#6. Respiratory therapists

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $71,930
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $77,520
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

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. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $78,750
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

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)

#3. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $81,440
- #42 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)

#2. Dental hygienists

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $83,840
- #89 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

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

Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Annual mean salary: $83,850
- #72 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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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