Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Portland, Oregon

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 Portland 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.

Roman023_photography // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Riggers

- Median annual wage: $81,680
- Median hourly wage: $39.27
- Total employment: 170 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Aleksander Krsmanovic // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Health information technologists and medical registrars

- Median annual wage: $82,200
- Median hourly wage: $39.52
- Total employment: 300 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $82,930
- Median hourly wage: $39.87
- Total employment: 610 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $83,510
- Median hourly wage: $40.15
- Total employment: 4,410 people (3.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $83,970
- Median hourly wage: $40.37
- Total employment: 1,070 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $83,990
- Median hourly wage: $40.38
- Total employment: 1,680 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Josep Suria // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $84,260
- Median hourly wage: $40.51
- Total employment: 160 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Yulyazolotko // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Fallers

- Median annual wage: $84,590
- Median hourly wage: $40.67
- Total employment: 50 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Funeral home managers

- Median annual wage: $85,090
- Median hourly wage: $40.91
- Total employment: 30 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

- Median annual wage: $85,230
- Median hourly wage: $40.98
- Total employment: 550 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $85,300
- Median hourly wage: $41.01
- Total employment: 1,670 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Guiderom // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Rail car repairers

- Median annual wage: $85,380
- Median hourly wage: $41.05
- Total employment: 120 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kardasov Films // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Sailors and marine oilers

- Median annual wage: $85,580
- Median hourly wage: $41.15
- Total employment: 170 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bigflick // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Correctional officers and jailers

- Median annual wage: $87,590
- Median hourly wage: $42.11
- Total employment: 1,370 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kirill Lasis // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Tapers

- Median annual wage: $91,420
- Median hourly wage: $43.95
- Total employment: 340 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in Portland, Oregon

Onk-Q // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers

- Median annual wage: $93,280
- Median hourly wage: $44.85
- Total employment: 390 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $93,360
- Median hourly wage: $44.89
- Total employment: 60 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

- Median annual wage: $93,800
- Median hourly wage: $45.10
- Total employment: 250 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

19 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $94,090
- Median hourly wage: $45.24
- Total employment: 240 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $95,590
- Median hourly wage: $45.96
- Total employment: 470 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Magsi // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment

- Median annual wage: $95,730
- Median hourly wage: $46.03
- Total employment: 30 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $97,070
- Median hourly wage: $46.67
- Total employment: 2,250 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Respiratory therapists

- Median annual wage: $99,780
- Median hourly wage: $47.97
- Total employment: 820 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $100,110
- Median hourly wage: $48.13
- Total employment: 4,920 people (4.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $102,070
- Median hourly wage: $49.07
- Total employment: 7,290 people (6.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

lenetstan // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Radiologic technologists and technicians

- Median annual wage: $102,370
- Median hourly wage: $49.21
- Total employment: 1,290 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

- Median annual wage: $104,120
- Median hourly wage: $50.06
- Total employment: 340 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

curraheeshutter // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Ship engineers

- Median annual wage: $104,500
- Median hourly wage: $50.24
- Total employment: 90 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrei Agape // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Avionics technicians

- Median annual wage: $104,630
- Median hourly wage: $50.30
- Total employment: 100 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $105,770
- Median hourly wage: $50.85
- Total employment: 1,780 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Best high schools in the Portland, Oregon metro area

sculpies // Shutterstock

31 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $107,920
- Median hourly wage: $51.89
- Total employment: 7,110 people (5.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $110,280
- Median hourly wage: $53.02
- Total employment: 320 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Peakstock // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

- Median annual wage: $110,590
- Median hourly wage: $53.17
- Total employment: 290 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

34 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $113,090
- Median hourly wage: $54.37
- Total employment: 550 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $113,380
- Median hourly wage: $54.51
- Total employment: 180 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SofikoS // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Diagnostic medical sonographers

- Median annual wage: $114,270
- Median hourly wage: $54.94
- Total employment: 650 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Washburn HM // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Transportation inspectors

- Median annual wage: $114,940
- Median hourly wage: $55.26
- Total employment: 130 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

My Ocean Production // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Nuclear medicine technologists

- Median annual wage: $115,290
- Median hourly wage: $55.43
- Total employment: 100 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Dental hygienists

- Median annual wage: $118,950
- Median hourly wage: $57.19
- Total employment: 2,170 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

funnyangel // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Fire inspectors and investigators

- Median annual wage: $121,120
- Median hourly wage: $58.23
- Total employment: 100 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

You may also like: Movies and TV shows casting in Portland, Oregon

Prath // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $121,530
- Median hourly wage: $58.43
- Total employment: 290 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Radiation therapists

- Median annual wage: $122,700
- Median hourly wage: $58.99
- Total employment: 160 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nagy-Bagoly Arpad // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Insulation workers, mechanical

- Median annual wage: $123,560
- Median hourly wage: $59.40
- Total employment: 120 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $125,160
- Median hourly wage: $60.18
- Total employment: 700 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

- Median annual wage: $126,460
- Median hourly wage: $60.80
- Total employment: 90 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $127,090
- Median hourly wage: $61.10
- Total employment: 620 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Burben // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Air traffic controllers

- Median annual wage: $130,060
- Median hourly wage: $62.53
- Total employment: 110 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Skycolors // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Commercial pilots

- Median annual wage: $131,250
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 350 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $134,010
- Median hourly wage: $64.43
- Total employment: 180 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $136,300
- Median hourly wage: $65.53
- Total employment: 60 people (0.05 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.