Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Hanford

For many, a two-year associate degree can be the ticket to higher earning power at an affordable price. Though some types of associate degrees can be a stepping stone to a bachelor's, others are geared toward middle-skilled careers that require specialized knowledge, such as criminal justice, cybersecurity, hospitality management, and more.

Across all fields of study, someone with a two-year degree can earn a median annual salary of $49,500 as of May 2024, around 18% more than that of a high school graduate. By comparison, bachelor's degree holders can earn a median salary of $66,600 but have to invest much more time—and money—into their degree.

According to March 2025 data from the Education Data Initiative, the total cost for a degree from a two-year in-district public college averages about $35,000, compared to nearly $109,000 for a bachelor's degree. And lower costs mean fewer student loans. Just 2 in 5 associate degree recipients took on student loan debt in the 2019-2020 school year (the most recent year with available data), compared to 64% of bachelor's degree students. The two-year degree holders who did use loans borrowed less money, incurring lower interest payments.

Despite the benefits of earning a two-year degree, the number of these credentials produced across the United States is lagging. A September 2024 study from Georgetown University forecasts a nationwide shortage of nearly 361,000 credentials to fill middle-skilled jobs through 2032. However, this could be good news for anyone holding one of these versatile degrees, since the number of available jobs may soon outnumber the employees qualified to work them.

In the meantime, Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Hanford for people with a two-year associate degree. The analysis also included jobs that listed a high school diploma, some college but no degree, a postsecondary nondegree award, or had no formal education requirement. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.

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Stokkete // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Information and record clerks, all other

- Median annual wage: $52,380
- Median hourly wage: $25.18
- Total employment: 130 people (2.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragon Images // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#48. Procurement clerks (tie)

- Median annual wage: $52,440
- Median hourly wage: $25.21
- Total employment: 60 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Firefighters (tie)

- Median annual wage: $52,440
- Median hourly wage: $25.21
- Total employment: 110 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Peter Braakmann // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

- Median annual wage: $52,620
- Median hourly wage: $25.30
- Total employment: 230 people (4.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Office and administrative support workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $54,080
- Median hourly wage: $26.00
- Total employment: 50 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $54,350
- Median hourly wage: $26.13
- Total employment: 90 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Maintenance and repair workers, general

- Median annual wage: $54,440
- Median hourly wage: $26.17
- Total employment: 480 people (10.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Library technicians

- Median annual wage: $56,010
- Median hourly wage: $26.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $56,730
- Median hourly wage: $27.28
- Total employment: 130 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Painters, construction and maintenance

- Median annual wage: $56,830
- Median hourly wage: $27.32
- Total employment: 30 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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XiXinXing // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Medical records specialists

- Median annual wage: $56,980
- Median hourly wage: $27.39
- Total employment: 50 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $57,080
- Median hourly wage: $27.44
- Total employment: 80 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vitpho // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $57,260
- Median hourly wage: $27.53
- Total employment: 720 people (15.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $58,810
- Median hourly wage: $28.27
- Total employment: 110 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $59,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.51
- Total employment: 100 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

- Median annual wage: $59,350
- Median hourly wage: $28.54
- Total employment: 50 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Paralegals and legal assistants

- Median annual wage: $59,820
- Median hourly wage: $28.76
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Automotive service technicians and mechanics

- Median annual wage: $60,040
- Median hourly wage: $28.87
- Total employment: 190 people (4.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $60,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.02
- Total employment: 80 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $60,420
- Median hourly wage: $29.05
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $61,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.50
- Total employment: 70 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $62,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.85
- Total employment: 80 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $62,380
- Median hourly wage: $29.99
- Total employment: 90 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Public safety telecommunicators

- Median annual wage: $62,680
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $62,710
- Median hourly wage: $30.15
- Total employment: 80 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $63,240
- Median hourly wage: $30.41
- Total employment: 370 people (7.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $64,810
- Median hourly wage: $31.16
- Total employment: 80 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

- Median annual wage: $64,900
- Median hourly wage: $31.20
- Total employment: 150 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $65,010
- Median hourly wage: $31.26
- Total employment: 100 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#20. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors (tie)

- Median annual wage: $68,370
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 150 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Electricians (tie)

- Median annual wage: $68,370
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 160 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Production workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $68,640
- Median hourly wage: $33.00
- Total employment: 120 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $71,650
- Median hourly wage: $34.45
- Total employment: 140 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $71,720
- Median hourly wage: $34.48
- Total employment: 40 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $72,520
- Median hourly wage: $34.87
- Total employment: 110 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $75,520
- Median hourly wage: $36.31
- Total employment: 150 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $75,560
- Median hourly wage: $36.33
- Total employment: 280 people (5.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $75,700
- Median hourly wage: $36.39
- Total employment: 110 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $78,010
- Median hourly wage: $37.50
- Total employment: 100 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vera Larina // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Sheet metal workers

- Median annual wage: $79,890
- Median hourly wage: $38.41
- Total employment: 40 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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santi lumubol // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $80,620
- Median hourly wage: $38.76
- Total employment: 140 people (2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $81,900
- Median hourly wage: $39.38
- Total employment: Not available

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $82,190
- Median hourly wage: $39.52
- Total employment: 260 people (5.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $83,600
- Median hourly wage: $40.19
- Total employment: 200 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $86,380
- Median hourly wage: $41.53
- Total employment: 160 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $90,700
- Median hourly wage: $43.61
- Total employment: 110 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $92,290
- Median hourly wage: $44.37
- Total employment: 40 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $101,760
- Median hourly wage: $48.92
- Total employment: 50 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Dental hygienists

- Median annual wage: $102,330
- Median hourly wage: $49.20
- Total employment: 60 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $126,190
- Median hourly wage: $60.67
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 363 metros.

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