Vitpho // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $52,090
- Median hourly wage: $25.04
- Total employment: 1,130 people (17.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Terre Haute
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 Terre Haute 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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2 / 50#49. Insurance claims and policy processing clerks
- Median annual wage: $52,410
- Median hourly wage: $25.20
- Total employment: 100 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $55,250
- Median hourly wage: $26.56
- Total employment: 290 people (4.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $55,790
- Median hourly wage: $26.82
- Total employment: 60 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $56,030
- Median hourly wage: $26.94
- Total employment: 190 people (3.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $56,750
- Median hourly wage: $27.29
- Total employment: 140 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $57,040
- Median hourly wage: $27.42
- Total employment: 140 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $57,050
- Median hourly wage: $27.43
- Total employment: 210 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $57,280
- Median hourly wage: $27.54
- Total employment: 30 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $57,470
- Median hourly wage: $27.63
- Total employment: 100 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $57,490
- Median hourly wage: $27.64
- Total employment: 190 people (2.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Median annual wage: $57,770
- Median hourly wage: $27.77
- Total employment: 60 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $57,960
- Median hourly wage: $27.86
- Total employment: 90 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $58,170
- Median hourly wage: $27.96
- Total employment: 120 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $58,500
- Median hourly wage: $28.13
- Total employment: 40 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $58,680
- Median hourly wage: $28.21
- Total employment: 70 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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17 / 50#34. Physical therapist assistants
- Median annual wage: $58,870
- Median hourly wage: $28.30
- Total employment: 40 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $58,980
- Median hourly wage: $28.36
- Total employment: 230 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $59,270
- Median hourly wage: $28.50
- Total employment: 130 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $59,290
- Median hourly wage: $28.50
- Total employment: 330 people (5.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $59,790
- Median hourly wage: $28.75
- Total employment: 30 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $60,070
- Median hourly wage: $28.88
- Total employment: 30 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $60,200
- Median hourly wage: $28.94
- Total employment: 410 people (6.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $60,350
- Median hourly wage: $29.02
- Total employment: 110 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
25 / 50#25. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $61,080
- Median hourly wage: $29.36
- Total employment: 410 people (6.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Recreational vehicle service technicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: $61,080
- Median hourly wage: $29.36
- Total employment: 40 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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27 / 50#24. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $61,130
- Median hourly wage: $29.39
- Total employment: 270 people (4.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $61,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.50
- Total employment: 50 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Hitdelight // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Architectural and civil drafters
- Median annual wage: $62,290
- Median hourly wage: $29.95
- Total employment: 30 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $62,320
- Median hourly wage: $29.96
- Total employment: 60 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $62,340
- Median hourly wage: $29.97
- Total employment: 470 people (7.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Chemical technicians
- Median annual wage: $63,460
- Median hourly wage: $30.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $65,280
- Median hourly wage: $31.38
- Total employment: 500 people (7.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gearstd // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Mechanical drafters
- Median annual wage: $66,800
- Median hourly wage: $32.12
- Total employment: 40 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BELL KA PANG // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $67,040
- Median hourly wage: $32.23
- Total employment: 50 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $68,140
- Median hourly wage: $32.76
- Total employment: 30 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $71,580
- Median hourly wage: $34.41
- Total employment: 440 people (6.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $73,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.35
- Total employment: 160 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Computer network support specialists
- Median annual wage: $74,380
- Median hourly wage: $35.76
- Total employment: 90 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $75,990
- Median hourly wage: $36.53
- Total employment: 30 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $76,350
- Median hourly wage: $36.71
- Total employment: 330 people (5.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Respiratory therapists
- Median annual wage: $77,630
- Median hourly wage: $37.32
- Total employment: 80 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $77,730
- Median hourly wage: $37.37
- Total employment: 310 people (4.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $78,600
- Median hourly wage: $37.79
- Total employment: 360 people (5.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $81,300
- Median hourly wage: $39.09
- Total employment: 90 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $83,880
- Median hourly wage: $40.33
- Total employment: 50 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $88,070
- Median hourly wage: $42.34
- Total employment: 400 people (6.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $99,080
- Median hourly wage: $47.63
- Total employment: 130 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $101,220
- Median hourly wage: $48.67
- Total employment: 80 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $113,170
- Median hourly wage: $54.41
- Total employment: 60 people (0.92 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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