Xmentoys // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Calibration technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $70,600
- Median hourly wage: $33.94
- Total employment: 40 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Syracuse
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 Syracuse 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. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $70,960
- Median hourly wage: $34.11
- Total employment: 2,600 people (8.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $71,650
- Median hourly wage: $34.45
- Total employment: 840 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $72,310
- Median hourly wage: $34.77
- Total employment: 1,040 people (3.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorgev // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $72,490
- Median hourly wage: $34.85
- Total employment: 60 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $72,910
- Median hourly wage: $35.06
- Total employment: 450 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $73,400
- Median hourly wage: $35.29
- Total employment: 390 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
muratart // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Pipelayers
- Median annual wage: $74,700
- Median hourly wage: $35.91
- Total employment: 50 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $74,740
- Median hourly wage: $35.93
- Total employment: 2,260 people (7.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nagy-Bagoly Arpad // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Insulation workers, mechanical
- Median annual wage: $75,170
- Median hourly wage: $36.14
- Total employment: 110 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N_Sakarin // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Structural iron and steel workers
- Median annual wage: $75,730
- Median hourly wage: $36.41
- Total employment: 50 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $75,780
- Median hourly wage: $36.44
- Total employment: 260 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Electrical and electronics drafters
- Median annual wage: $75,870
- Median hourly wage: $36.48
- Total employment: 50 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $76,840
- Median hourly wage: $36.94
- Total employment: 1,320 people (4.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $77,020
- Median hourly wage: $37.03
- Total employment: 1,150 people (3.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ITisha // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Median annual wage: $77,110
- Median hourly wage: $37.07
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $77,120
- Median hourly wage: $37.08
- Total employment: 180 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $77,320
- Median hourly wage: $37.17
- Total employment: 1,980 people (6.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $77,560
- Median hourly wage: $37.29
- Total employment: 1,770 people (6.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jat306 // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $78,190
- Median hourly wage: $37.59
- Total employment: 30 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ITisha // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Bailiffs
- Median annual wage: $78,230
- Median hourly wage: $37.61
- Total employment: 80 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,520
- Median hourly wage: $37.75
- Total employment: 60 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $78,670
- Median hourly wage: $37.82
- Total employment: 1,150 people (3.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $79,420
- Median hourly wage: $38.18
- Total employment: 670 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $80,710
- Median hourly wage: $38.80
- Total employment: 380 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $80,720
- Median hourly wage: $38.81
- Total employment: 80 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $82,440
- Median hourly wage: $39.63
- Total employment: 170 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Respiratory therapists
- Median annual wage: $82,850
- Median hourly wage: $39.83
- Total employment: 230 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $83,690
- Median hourly wage: $40.24
- Total employment: 700 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $84,360
- Median hourly wage: $40.56
- Total employment: 480 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $84,550
- Median hourly wage: $40.65
- Total employment: 200 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $85,690
- Median hourly wage: $41.20
- Total employment: 320 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BearFotos // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $85,760
- Median hourly wage: $41.23
- Total employment: 50 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $90,700
- Median hourly wage: $43.61
- Total employment: 200 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $91,590
- Median hourly wage: $44.03
- Total employment: 40 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $92,430
- Median hourly wage: $44.44
- Total employment: 160 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $93,020
- Median hourly wage: $44.72
- Total employment: 40 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peakstock // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Median annual wage: $93,330
- Median hourly wage: $44.87
- Total employment: 90 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $93,810
- Median hourly wage: $45.10
- Total employment: 110 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $95,020
- Median hourly wage: $45.68
- Total employment: 480 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $95,370
- Median hourly wage: $45.85
- Total employment: 270 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $95,550
- Median hourly wage: $45.94
- Total employment: 300 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $96,210
- Median hourly wage: $46.26
- Total employment: 260 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Sound engineering technicians
- Median annual wage: $97,850
- Median hourly wage: $47.04
- Total employment: 40 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $101,930
- Median hourly wage: $49.01
- Total employment: 370 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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michaeljung // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $102,400
- Median hourly wage: $49.23
- Total employment: 260 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Radiation therapists
- Median annual wage: $109,260
- Median hourly wage: $52.53
- Total employment: 60 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $119,990
- Median hourly wage: $57.69
- Total employment: 120 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $120,630
- Median hourly wage: $57.99
- Total employment: 290 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $124,050
- Median hourly wage: $59.64
- Total employment: 120 people (0.42 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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