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 Ithaca 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- Median annual wage: $52,830
- Median hourly wage: $25.40
- Total employment: 110 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
2 / 50- Median annual wage: $53,290
- Median hourly wage: $25.62
- Total employment: 260 people (5.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
3 / 50- Median annual wage: $53,360
- Median hourly wage: $25.66
- Total employment: 50 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 50- Median annual wage: $53,850
- Median hourly wage: $25.89
- Total employment: 40 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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5 / 50- Median annual wage: $54,610
- Median hourly wage: $26.26
- Total employment: 210 people (4.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50- Median annual wage: $55,300
- Median hourly wage: $26.59
- Total employment: 50 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
7 / 50- Median annual wage: $56,950
- Median hourly wage: $27.38
- Total employment: 40 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 50- Median annual wage: $56,960
- Median hourly wage: $27.39
- Total employment: 200 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
9 / 50- Median annual wage: $57,360
- Median hourly wage: $27.58
- Total employment: 80 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
10 / 50- Median annual wage: $58,390
- Median hourly wage: $28.07
- Total employment: 110 people (2.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50- Median annual wage: $58,910
- Median hourly wage: $28.32
- Total employment: 90 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
12 / 50- Median annual wage: $59,080
- Median hourly wage: $28.40
- Total employment: 70 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 50- Median annual wage: $59,430
- Median hourly wage: $28.57
- Total employment: 70 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 50- Median annual wage: $60,470
- Median hourly wage: $29.07
- Total employment: 40 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
15 / 50- Median annual wage: $60,470
- Median hourly wage: $29.07
- Total employment: 40 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
16 / 50- Median annual wage: $60,610
- Median hourly wage: $29.14
- Total employment: 70 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pixel B // Shutterstock
17 / 50- Median annual wage: $60,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.15
- Total employment: Not available
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
18 / 50- Median annual wage: $60,820
- Median hourly wage: $29.24
- Total employment: 50 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 130 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
20 / 50- Median annual wage: $61,670
- Median hourly wage: $29.65
- Total employment: 200 people (4.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50- Median annual wage: $61,800
- Median hourly wage: $29.71
- Total employment: 50 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
22 / 50- Median annual wage: $61,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.73
- Total employment: 520 people (10.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
23 / 50- Median annual wage: $61,990
- Median hourly wage: $29.80
- Total employment: 230 people (4.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
24 / 50- Median annual wage: $62,510
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 60 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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25 / 50- Median annual wage: $62,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.10
- Total employment: 60 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50- Median annual wage: $62,660
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 30 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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27 / 50- Median annual wage: $62,830
- Median hourly wage: $30.21
- Total employment: 120 people (2.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
28 / 50- Median annual wage: $63,010
- Median hourly wage: $30.30
- Total employment: 60 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
29 / 50- Median annual wage: $63,650
- Median hourly wage: $30.60
- Total employment: 580 people (12.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
30 / 50- Median annual wage: $64,330
- Median hourly wage: $30.93
- Total employment: 30 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50- Median annual wage: $65,020
- Median hourly wage: $31.26
- Total employment: 100 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
32 / 50- Median annual wage: $65,140
- Median hourly wage: $31.32
- Total employment: 120 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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33 / 50- Median annual wage: $68,100
- Median hourly wage: $32.74
- Total employment: 110 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
34 / 50- Median annual wage: $69,220
- Median hourly wage: $33.28
- Total employment: 220 people (4.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Hitdelight // Shutterstock
35 / 50- Median annual wage: $70,260
- Median hourly wage: $33.78
- Total employment: 40 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50- Median annual wage: $71,730
- Median hourly wage: $34.49
- Total employment: 100 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
37 / 50- Median annual wage: $73,100
- Median hourly wage: $35.15
- Total employment: 40 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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38 / 50- Median annual wage: $75,340
- Median hourly wage: $36.22
- Total employment: 50 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
39 / 50- Median annual wage: $75,650
- Median hourly wage: $36.37
- Total employment: 160 people (3.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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40 / 50- Median annual wage: $75,940
- Median hourly wage: $36.51
- Total employment: 120 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50- Median annual wage: $77,230
- Median hourly wage: $37.13
- Total employment: 30 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
42 / 50- Median annual wage: $77,540
- Median hourly wage: $37.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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43 / 50- Median annual wage: $78,130
- Median hourly wage: $37.56
- Total employment: 190 people (3.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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44 / 50- Median annual wage: $80,260
- Median hourly wage: $38.59
- Total employment: 40 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
45 / 50- Median annual wage: $81,630
- Median hourly wage: $39.24
- Total employment: 60 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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lenetstan // Shutterstock
46 / 50- Median annual wage: $83,080
- Median hourly wage: $39.94
- Total employment: 60 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
47 / 50- Median annual wage: $85,650
- Median hourly wage: $41.18
- Total employment: 50 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
48 / 50- Median annual wage: $89,380
- Median hourly wage: $42.97
- Total employment: 30 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
49 / 50- Median annual wage: $93,490
- Median hourly wage: $44.95
- Total employment: 40 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50- Median annual wage: $100,780
- Median hourly wage: $48.45
- Total employment: 40 people (0.86 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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