Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Physical therapist assistants
- Median annual wage: $75,630
- Median hourly wage: $36.36
- Total employment: 310 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Worcester
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 Worcester 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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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $75,840
- Median hourly wage: $36.46
- Total employment: 2,200 people (6.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Xmentoys // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Calibration technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $77,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.02
- Total employment: 40 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $77,310
- Median hourly wage: $37.17
- Total employment: 2,640 people (7.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Yuriy Golub // Shutterstock
5 / 50#45. Glaziers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $78,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.50
- Total employment: 120 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Food service managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $78,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.50
- Total employment: 410 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $78,030
- Median hourly wage: $37.51
- Total employment: 350 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dagmara_K // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Drywall and ceiling tile installers
- Median annual wage: $78,160
- Median hourly wage: $37.58
- Total employment: 140 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $78,270
- Median hourly wage: $37.63
- Total employment: 1,460 people (4.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $78,300
- Median hourly wage: $37.64
- Total employment: 820 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SatawatK // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $78,820
- Median hourly wage: $37.89
- Total employment: Not available
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $79,450
- Median hourly wage: $38.20
- Total employment: 1,490 people (4.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Median annual wage: $79,710
- Median hourly wage: $38.32
- Total employment: 90 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $80,060
- Median hourly wage: $38.49
- Total employment: 2,080 people (5.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $80,790
- Median hourly wage: $38.84
- Total employment: 450 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Lighthunter // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Medical equipment repairers
- Median annual wage: $81,150
- Median hourly wage: $39.01
- Total employment: 80 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $81,190
- Median hourly wage: $39.03
- Total employment: 730 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Computer network support specialists
- Median annual wage: $81,430
- Median hourly wage: $39.15
- Total employment: 90 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Glen Jones // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Layout workers, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $81,530
- Median hourly wage: $39.20
- Total employment: 30 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $82,050
- Median hourly wage: $39.45
- Total employment: 60 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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brizmaker // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Roofers
- Median annual wage: $83,140
- Median hourly wage: $39.97
- Total employment: 350 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Insurance appraisers, auto damage
- Median annual wage: $84,080
- Median hourly wage: $40.42
- Total employment: 100 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $84,690
- Median hourly wage: $40.71
- Total employment: 720 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $85,110
- Median hourly wage: $40.92
- Total employment: 70 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Chemical plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $85,730
- Median hourly wage: $41.22
- Total employment: 70 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Respiratory therapists
- Median annual wage: $85,920
- Median hourly wage: $41.31
- Total employment: 300 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bigflick // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $86,060
- Median hourly wage: $41.37
- Total employment: 420 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ArtSvetlana // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $86,590
- Median hourly wage: $41.63
- Total employment: 60 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $88,620
- Median hourly wage: $42.61
- Total employment: 550 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $88,700
- Median hourly wage: $42.65
- Total employment: 1,290 people (3.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $89,430
- Median hourly wage: $42.99
- Total employment: 260 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $92,470
- Median hourly wage: $44.46
- Total employment: 60 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksander Krsmanovic // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Health information technologists and medical registrars
- Median annual wage: $94,360
- Median hourly wage: $45.37
- Total employment: 60 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $95,960
- Median hourly wage: $46.14
- Total employment: 1,860 people (5.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $96,240
- Median hourly wage: $46.27
- Total employment: 390 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $97,430
- Median hourly wage: $46.84
- Total employment: 350 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $97,450
- Median hourly wage: $46.85
- Total employment: 480 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $98,720
- Median hourly wage: $47.46
- Total employment: 180 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Electrical and electronics drafters
- Median annual wage: $99,380
- Median hourly wage: $47.78
- Total employment: 130 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $99,420
- Median hourly wage: $47.80
- Total employment: 290 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Prath // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $99,440
- Median hourly wage: $47.81
- Total employment: 50 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $99,460
- Median hourly wage: $47.82
- Total employment: 260 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peakstock // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Median annual wage: $99,890
- Median hourly wage: $48.02
- Total employment: 90 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $100,210
- Median hourly wage: $48.18
- Total employment: 720 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $101,800
- Median hourly wage: $48.94
- Total employment: 180 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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My Ocean Production // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Nuclear medicine technologists
- Median annual wage: $106,180
- Median hourly wage: $51.05
- Total employment: 30 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $112,610
- Median hourly wage: $54.14
- Total employment: 660 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $124,030
- Median hourly wage: $59.63
- Total employment: 90 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $124,100
- Median hourly wage: $59.67
- Total employment: 110 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $133,820
- Median hourly wage: $64.34
- Total employment: Not available
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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