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

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 Hinesville 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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4 PM production // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Automotive service technicians and mechanics

- Median annual wage: $38,080
- Median hourly wage: $18.31
- Total employment: 120 people (5.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lee Charlie // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Court, municipal, and license clerks

- Median annual wage: $38,910
- Median hourly wage: $18.71
- Total employment: 40 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Pharmacy technicians

- Median annual wage: $39,100
- Median hourly wage: $18.80
- Total employment: 60 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragon Images // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Social and human service assistants

- Median annual wage: $39,460
- Median hourly wage: $18.97
- Total employment: 60 people (3.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#45. Dental assistants (tie)

- Median annual wage: $39,560
- Median hourly wage: $19.02
- Total employment: 70 people (3.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Ruslan Galiullin // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Office clerks, general (tie)

- Median annual wage: $39,560
- Median hourly wage: $19.02
- Total employment: 460 people (22.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Billing and posting clerks

- Median annual wage: $40,560
- Median hourly wage: $19.50
- Total employment: 40 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Paralegals and legal assistants

- Median annual wage: $41,300
- Median hourly wage: $19.86
- Total employment: 70 people (3.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Glenn Highcove // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Industrial truck and tractor operators

- Median annual wage: $44,380
- Median hourly wage: $21.34
- Total employment: 300 people (14.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Packers and packagers, hand

- Median annual wage: $44,730
- Median hourly wage: $21.51
- Total employment: 50 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

- Median annual wage: $45,330
- Median hourly wage: $21.79
- Total employment: 110 people (5.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Fusionstudio // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks

- Median annual wage: $45,360
- Median hourly wage: $21.81
- Total employment: 110 people (5.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Maintenance and repair workers, general

- Median annual wage: $46,500
- Median hourly wage: $22.35
- Total employment: 190 people (9.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

14 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $46,910
- Median hourly wage: $22.55
- Total employment: 60 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Security guards

- Median annual wage: $47,050
- Median hourly wage: $22.62
- Total employment: 90 people (4.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Irene Miller // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $47,320
- Median hourly wage: $22.75
- Total employment: 70 people (3.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Preschool teachers, except special education

- Median annual wage: $47,790
- Median hourly wage: $22.98
- Total employment: 80 people (4.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Bus drivers, school

- Median annual wage: $48,390
- Median hourly wage: $23.26
- Total employment: 50 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $49,280
- Median hourly wage: $23.69
- Total employment: 140 people (7.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $50,150
- Median hourly wage: $24.11
- Total employment: 70 people (3.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Production workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $50,380
- Median hourly wage: $24.22
- Total employment: 80 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $50,870
- Median hourly wage: $24.46
- Total employment: 60 people (2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $50,880
- Median hourly wage: $24.46
- Total employment: 160 people (7.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

XiXinXing // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Medical records specialists

- Median annual wage: $51,460
- Median hourly wage: $24.74
- Total employment: 30 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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25 / 50

#26. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $52,120
- Median hourly wage: $25.06
- Total employment: 170 people (8.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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26 / 50

#25. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $52,460
- Median hourly wage: $25.22
- Total employment: 90 people (4.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

- Median annual wage: $53,200
- Median hourly wage: $25.58
- Total employment: 40 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

28 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $53,410
- Median hourly wage: $25.68
- Total employment: 50 people (2.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vitpho // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $54,480
- Median hourly wage: $26.19
- Total employment: 190 people (9.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

30 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $54,840
- Median hourly wage: $26.36
- Total employment: 70 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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GaudiLab // Shutterstock

31 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $54,980
- Median hourly wage: $26.43
- Total employment: 180 people (8.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $56,020
- Median hourly wage: $26.93
- Total employment: 30 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $56,480
- Median hourly wage: $27.15
- Total employment: 40 people (1.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $56,760
- Median hourly wage: $27.29
- Total employment: 40 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $56,910
- Median hourly wage: $27.36
- Total employment: 40 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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36 / 50

#15. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $57,250
- Median hourly wage: $27.53
- Total employment: 60 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

37 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $58,670
- Median hourly wage: $28.21
- Total employment: 60 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

38 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $59,130
- Median hourly wage: $28.43
- Total employment: 240 people (11.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $60,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.02
- Total employment: 90 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $62,150
- Median hourly wage: $29.88
- Total employment: 40 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $62,870
- Median hourly wage: $30.23
- Total employment: 50 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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42 / 50

#9. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $66,960
- Median hourly wage: $32.19
- Total employment: 60 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

43 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $67,180
- Median hourly wage: $32.30
- Total employment: 30 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $68,810
- Median hourly wage: $33.08
- Total employment: 40 people (2.1 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: $71,520
- Median hourly wage: $34.38
- Total employment: 110 people (5.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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46 / 50

#5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $72,500
- Median hourly wage: $34.86
- Total employment: 80 people (3.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Dental hygienists

- Median annual wage: $76,220
- Median hourly wage: $36.64
- Total employment: 30 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $76,610
- Median hourly wage: $36.83
- Total employment: 90 people (4.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $79,960
- Median hourly wage: $38.44
- Total employment: 40 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

50 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $80,630
- Median hourly wage: $38.76
- Total employment: 30 people (1.59 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.