Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $59,380
- Median hourly wage: $28.55
- Total employment: 1,070 people (8.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Midland
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 Midland 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. Public safety telecommunicators
- Median annual wage: $59,470
- Median hourly wage: $28.59
- Total employment: 50 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Computer network support specialists
- Median annual wage: $59,890
- Median hourly wage: $28.79
- Total employment: 40 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $59,920
- Median hourly wage: $28.81
- Total employment: 430 people (3.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Paralegals and legal assistants
- Median annual wage: $60,450
- Median hourly wage: $29.06
- Total employment: 110 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $60,460
- Median hourly wage: $29.07
- Total employment: 670 people (5.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $60,680
- Median hourly wage: $29.17
- Total employment: 2,420 people (20.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $61,150
- Median hourly wage: $29.40
- Total employment: 50 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Median annual wage: $61,240
- Median hourly wage: $29.44
- Total employment: 170 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Median annual wage: $61,290
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 60 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Chay_Tee // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Tax preparers
- Median annual wage: $61,410
- Median hourly wage: $29.52
- Total employment: 30 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $61,990
- Median hourly wage: $29.80
- Total employment: 320 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Legal support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $62,410
- Median hourly wage: $30.01
- Total employment: 40 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $62,690
- Median hourly wage: $30.14
- Total employment: 280 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $63,220
- Median hourly wage: $30.40
- Total employment: 640 people (5.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vladimir Endovitskiy // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
- Median annual wage: $64,550
- Median hourly wage: $31.03
- Total employment: 610 people (5.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 150 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $66,300
- Median hourly wage: $31.88
- Total employment: 620 people (5.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Median annual wage: $66,670
- Median hourly wage: $32.06
- Total employment: 90 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $67,290
- Median hourly wage: $32.35
- Total employment: 280 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BGStock72 // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other
- Median annual wage: $68,780
- Median hourly wage: $33.07
- Total employment: 290 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Civil engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $69,340
- Median hourly wage: $33.34
- Total employment: 50 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $72,360
- Median hourly wage: $34.79
- Total employment: 100 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $72,430
- Median hourly wage: $34.82
- Total employment: 40 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $72,760
- Median hourly wage: $34.98
- Total employment: 1,120 people (9.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $75,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.07
- Total employment: 230 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $75,070
- Median hourly wage: $36.09
- Total employment: 1,660 people (13.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $77,110
- Median hourly wage: $37.07
- Total employment: 950 people (7.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $77,440
- Median hourly wage: $37.23
- Total employment: 180 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $77,850
- Median hourly wage: $37.43
- Total employment: 90 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 PM production // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $78,190
- Median hourly wage: $37.59
- Total employment: 1,240 people (10.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $79,510
- Median hourly wage: $38.23
- Total employment: 190 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Physical therapist assistants
- Median annual wage: $79,580
- Median hourly wage: $38.26
- Total employment: 80 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elizaveta Galitckaia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Wellhead pumpers
- Median annual wage: $79,640
- Median hourly wage: $38.29
- Total employment: 1,470 people (12.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $80,530
- Median hourly wage: $38.72
- Total employment: 2,840 people (23.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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pio3 // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $80,850
- Median hourly wage: $38.87
- Total employment: 350 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
lenetstan // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $81,570
- Median hourly wage: $39.22
- Total employment: 100 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $82,070
- Median hourly wage: $39.46
- Total employment: 530 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gearstd // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Mechanical drafters
- Median annual wage: $82,880
- Median hourly wage: $39.85
- Total employment: 70 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SofikoS // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Median annual wage: $86,770
- Median hourly wage: $41.71
- Total employment: 30 people (0.26 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: $94,420
- Median hourly wage: $45.39
- Total employment: 110 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $94,650
- Median hourly wage: $45.51
- Total employment: 310 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $95,510
- Median hourly wage: $45.92
- Total employment: 330 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $97,890
- Median hourly wage: $47.06
- Total employment: 240 people (2.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $100,720
- Median hourly wage: $48.42
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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goodluz // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $105,000
- Median hourly wage: $50.48
- Total employment: 320 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $106,340
- Median hourly wage: $51.13
- Total employment: 300 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $109,410
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BELL KA PANG // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $110,900
- Median hourly wage: $53.32
- Total employment: 50 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $115,220
- Median hourly wage: $55.39
- Total employment: 40 people (0.34 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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