Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Los Angeles

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 Los Angeles 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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1 / 50

#50. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $89,730
- Median hourly wage: $43.14
- Total employment: 7,470 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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2 / 50

#49. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $89,790
- Median hourly wage: $43.17
- Total employment: 3,340 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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3 / 50

#48. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $89,980
- Median hourly wage: $43.26
- Total employment: 740 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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4 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $92,100
- Median hourly wage: $44.28
- Total employment: 17,390 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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5 / 50

#46. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $93,220
- Median hourly wage: $44.82
- Total employment: 8,430 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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6 / 50

#45. Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters

- Median annual wage: $94,240
- Median hourly wage: $45.31
- Total employment: 60 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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7 / 50

#44. Riggers

- Median annual wage: $94,540
- Median hourly wage: $45.45
- Total employment: 1,800 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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8 / 50

#43. Health information technologists and medical registrars

- Median annual wage: $95,000
- Median hourly wage: $45.67
- Total employment: 1,290 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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9 / 50

#42. Fire inspectors and investigators

- Median annual wage: $95,510
- Median hourly wage: $45.92
- Total employment: 250 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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10 / 50

#41. Avionics technicians

- Median annual wage: $95,990
- Median hourly wage: $46.15
- Total employment: 460 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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11 / 50

#40. Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians

- Median annual wage: $96,370
- Median hourly wage: $46.33
- Total employment: 410 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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12 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $97,730
- Median hourly wage: $46.98
- Total employment: 19,320 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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13 / 50

#38. Media and communication workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $97,980
- Median hourly wage: $47.10
- Total employment: 7,570 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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14 / 50

#37. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $99,210
- Median hourly wage: $47.70
- Total employment: 7,200 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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15 / 50

#36. Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists

- Median annual wage: $99,600
- Median hourly wage: $47.89
- Total employment: 60 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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16 / 50

#35. Transportation inspectors

- Median annual wage: $100,440
- Median hourly wage: $48.29
- Total employment: Not available

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17 / 50

#34. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

- Median annual wage: $101,090
- Median hourly wage: $48.60
- Total employment: 100 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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18 / 50

#33. Respiratory therapists

- Median annual wage: $101,250
- Median hourly wage: $48.68
- Total employment: 7,010 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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19 / 50

#32. Diagnostic medical sonographers

- Median annual wage: $101,820
- Median hourly wage: $48.95
- Total employment: 3,470 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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20 / 50

#31. Costume attendants

- Median annual wage: $101,860
- Median hourly wage: $48.97
- Total employment: 1,290 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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21 / 50

#30. Radiologic technologists and technicians

- Median annual wage: $102,310
- Median hourly wage: $49.19
- Total employment: 6,550 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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22 / 50

#29. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $103,480
- Median hourly wage: $49.75
- Total employment: 3,730 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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23 / 50

#28. Pile driver operators

- Median annual wage: $103,790
- Median hourly wage: $49.90
- Total employment: 260 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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24 / 50

#27. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $104,600
- Median hourly wage: $50.29
- Total employment: 11,660 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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25 / 50

#26. Power distributors and dispatchers

- Median annual wage: $105,200
- Median hourly wage: $50.58
- Total employment: 330 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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26 / 50

#25. Wind turbine service technicians

- Median annual wage: $105,370
- Median hourly wage: $50.66
- Total employment: 60 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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27 / 50

#24. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $106,030
- Median hourly wage: $50.98
- Total employment: 450 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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28 / 50

#23. Dental hygienists

- Median annual wage: $106,480
- Median hourly wage: $51.19
- Total employment: 8,100 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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29 / 50

#22. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers

- Median annual wage: $107,270
- Median hourly wage: $51.57
- Total employment: 1,770 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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30 / 50

#21. Boilermakers

- Median annual wage: $107,600
- Median hourly wage: $51.73
- Total employment: 400 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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31 / 50

#20. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $108,240
- Median hourly wage: $52.04
- Total employment: 130 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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32 / 50

#19. Insulation workers, mechanical

- Median annual wage: $109,360
- Median hourly wage: $52.58
- Total employment: 320 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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33 / 50

#18. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

- Median annual wage: $110,140
- Median hourly wage: $52.95
- Total employment: 590 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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34 / 50

#17. Ship engineers

- Median annual wage: $113,440
- Median hourly wage: $54.54
- Total employment: Not available

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35 / 50

#16. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

- Median annual wage: $114,380
- Median hourly wage: $54.99
- Total employment: 1,140 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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36 / 50

#15. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $115,630
- Median hourly wage: $55.59
- Total employment: 24,310 people (3.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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37 / 50

#14. Motion picture projectionists

- Median annual wage: $119,090
- Median hourly wage: $57.25
- Total employment: 120 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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38 / 50

#13. Gambling managers

- Median annual wage: $119,310
- Median hourly wage: $57.36
- Total employment: 70 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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39 / 50

#12. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $123,670
- Median hourly wage: $59.46
- Total employment: 240 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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40 / 50

#11. Gas plant operators

- Median annual wage: $124,100
- Median hourly wage: $59.66
- Total employment: 190 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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41 / 50

#10. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $127,810
- Median hourly wage: $61.45
- Total employment: 2,840 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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42 / 50

#9. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $127,980
- Median hourly wage: $61.53
- Total employment: 3,070 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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43 / 50

#8. Makeup artists, theatrical and performance

- Median annual wage: $132,900
- Median hourly wage: $63.89
- Total employment: Not available

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44 / 50

#7. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $136,920
- Median hourly wage: $65.83
- Total employment: 1,400 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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45 / 50

#6. Nuclear medicine technologists

- Median annual wage: $145,190
- Median hourly wage: $69.80
- Total employment: 460 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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46 / 50

#5. Radiation therapists

- Median annual wage: $155,360
- Median hourly wage: $74.69
- Total employment: 380 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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47 / 50

#4. Air traffic controllers

- Median annual wage: $169,230
- Median hourly wage: $81.36
- Total employment: 670 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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48 / 50

#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $169,590
- Median hourly wage: $81.53
- Total employment: 4,800 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)