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1 / 50#50. Plasterers and stucco masons
- Median annual wage: $76,310
- Median hourly wage: $36.69
- Total employment: 100 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Philadelphia
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 Philadelphia 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. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $77,280
- Median hourly wage: $37.15
- Total employment: 7,250 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $77,290
- Median hourly wage: $37.16
- Total employment: 9,530 people (3.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $77,410
- Median hourly wage: $37.21
- Total employment: 680 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,170
- Median hourly wage: $37.58
- Total employment: 4,340 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Median annual wage: $78,570
- Median hourly wage: $37.77
- Total employment: 1,210 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $78,980
- Median hourly wage: $37.97
- Total employment: 3,440 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
First Class Photography // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers
- Median annual wage: $79,110
- Median hourly wage: $38.04
- Total employment: 890 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Computer network support specialists
- Median annual wage: $79,120
- Median hourly wage: $38.04
- Total employment: 2,080 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Chemical plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $79,400
- Median hourly wage: $38.17
- Total employment: 290 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment
- Median annual wage: $80,110
- Median hourly wage: $38.52
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $81,140
- Median hourly wage: $39.01
- Total employment: 1,170 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Insurance appraisers, auto damage
- Median annual wage: $82,120
- Median hourly wage: $39.48
- Total employment: 180 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $82,510
- Median hourly wage: $39.67
- Total employment: 9,700 people (3.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $82,670
- Median hourly wage: $39.74
- Total employment: 6,550 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $84,600
- Median hourly wage: $40.67
- Total employment: 680 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Respiratory therapists
- Median annual wage: $85,680
- Median hourly wage: $41.19
- Total employment: 2,740 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $86,530
- Median hourly wage: $41.60
- Total employment: 170 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
JL IMAGES // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Transit and railroad police
- Median annual wage: $89,220
- Median hourly wage: $42.90
- Total employment: 90 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $89,300
- Median hourly wage: $42.94
- Total employment: 4,330 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SofikoS // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $89,550
- Median hourly wage: $43.06
- Total employment: 1,720 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $90,640
- Median hourly wage: $43.58
- Total employment: 12,400 people (4.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
prochasson frederic // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Boilermakers
- Median annual wage: $91,690
- Median hourly wage: $44.08
- Total employment: 240 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $92,750
- Median hourly wage: $44.59
- Total employment: 10,860 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $95,150
- Median hourly wage: $45.75
- Total employment: 740 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $95,580
- Median hourly wage: $45.95
- Total employment: 250 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $95,590
- Median hourly wage: $45.96
- Total employment: 1,870 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Funeral home managers
- Median annual wage: $95,660
- Median hourly wage: $45.99
- Total employment: 230 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peakstock // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Median annual wage: $96,010
- Median hourly wage: $46.16
- Total employment: 1,020 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N_Sakarin // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Structural iron and steel workers
- Median annual wage: $96,720
- Median hourly wage: $46.50
- Total employment: 630 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Median annual wage: $97,440
- Median hourly wage: $46.85
- Total employment: 30 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $97,920
- Median hourly wage: $47.08
- Total employment: 390 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $98,740
- Median hourly wage: $47.47
- Total employment: 2,100 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
My Ocean Production // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Nuclear medicine technologists
- Median annual wage: $98,870
- Median hourly wage: $47.53
- Total employment: 440 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kirill Lasis // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Tapers
- Median annual wage: $100,420
- Median hourly wage: $48.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $100,970
- Median hourly wage: $48.54
- Total employment: 4,300 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Median annual wage: $101,650
- Median hourly wage: $48.87
- Total employment: 290 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $102,240
- Median hourly wage: $49.16
- Total employment: 850 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $102,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.20
- Total employment: 630 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $103,660
- Median hourly wage: $49.84
- Total employment: 370 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrei Agape // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Avionics technicians
- Median annual wage: $105,790
- Median hourly wage: $50.86
- Total employment: 100 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $108,200
- Median hourly wage: $52.02
- Total employment: 150 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Radiation therapists
- Median annual wage: $111,370
- Median hourly wage: $53.54
- Total employment: 540 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $112,850
- Median hourly wage: $54.25
- Total employment: 3,930 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $114,870
- Median hourly wage: $55.23
- Total employment: 400 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $115,770
- Median hourly wage: $55.66
- Total employment: 1,110 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krysja // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Nuclear technicians
- Median annual wage: $117,630
- Median hourly wage: $56.55
- Total employment: 120 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $120,960
- Median hourly wage: $58.15
- Total employment: 3,050 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $133,520
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 240 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Burben // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Air traffic controllers
- Median annual wage: $181,200
- Median hourly wage: $87.12
- Total employment: 190 people (0.07 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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