Highest-paying jobs for people with 2-year degrees in Walla Walla

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 Walla Walla 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.

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Security guards

- Median annual wage: $48,700
- Median hourly wage: $23.41
- Total employment: 50 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DGLimages // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#48. Healthcare support workers, all other (tie)

- Median annual wage: $49,000
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 40 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragon Images // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Social and human service assistants (tie)

- Median annual wage: $49,000
- Median hourly wage: $23.56
- Total employment: 80 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Maintenance and repair workers, general

- Median annual wage: $49,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.83
- Total employment: 320 people (12.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive

- Median annual wage: $49,680
- Median hourly wage: $23.88
- Total employment: 290 people (11.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Office and administrative support workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $49,980
- Median hourly wage: $24.03
- Total employment: 70 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Bus drivers, school

- Median annual wage: $50,440
- Median hourly wage: $24.25
- Total employment: 80 people (2.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stokkete // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Information and record clerks, all other

- Median annual wage: $51,430
- Median hourly wage: $24.73
- Total employment: 90 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

- Median annual wage: $51,460
- Median hourly wage: $24.74
- Total employment: 230 people (8.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $52,900
- Median hourly wage: $25.44
- Total employment: 70 people (2.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

XiXinXing // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Medical records specialists

- Median annual wage: $52,940
- Median hourly wage: $25.45
- Total employment: 30 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

- Median annual wage: $53,360
- Median hourly wage: $25.65
- Total employment: 50 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Pharmacy technicians

- Median annual wage: $53,890
- Median hourly wage: $25.91
- Total employment: 80 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Paralegals and legal assistants

- Median annual wage: $57,100
- Median hourly wage: $27.45
- Total employment: 50 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $57,550
- Median hourly wage: $27.67
- Total employment: 110 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Eligibility interviewers, government programs

- Median annual wage: $58,090
- Median hourly wage: $27.93
- Total employment: 40 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $58,500
- Median hourly wage: $28.13
- Total employment: 80 people (3.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $58,530
- Median hourly wage: $28.14
- Total employment: 130 people (5.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vitpho // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $59,210
- Median hourly wage: $28.47
- Total employment: 220 people (8.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lee Charlie // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Court, municipal, and license clerks

- Median annual wage: $59,700
- Median hourly wage: $28.70
- Total employment: 40 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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New Africa // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers

- Median annual wage: $60,020
- Median hourly wage: $28.86
- Total employment: 40 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Virrage Images // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Refuse and recyclable material collectors

- Median annual wage: $60,330
- Median hourly wage: $29.01
- Total employment: 30 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

- Median annual wage: $60,720
- Median hourly wage: $29.19
- Total employment: 70 people (2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $60,860
- Median hourly wage: $29.26
- Total employment: 50 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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25 / 50

#26. Highway maintenance workers

- Median annual wage: $61,050
- Median hourly wage: $29.35
- Total employment: 40 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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26 / 50

#25. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 70 people (2.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Chok Chokchai // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $62,470
- Median hourly wage: $30.03
- Total employment: 140 people (5.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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28 / 50

#23. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $62,710
- Median hourly wage: $30.15
- Total employment: 60 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $62,790
- Median hourly wage: $30.19
- Total employment: 60 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $63,870
- Median hourly wage: $30.71
- Total employment: 40 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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31 / 50

#20. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $66,010
- Median hourly wage: $31.74
- Total employment: 60 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $66,550
- Median hourly wage: $31.99
- Total employment: 60 people (2.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $66,740
- Median hourly wage: $32.09
- Total employment: 30 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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34 / 50

#17. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $68,930
- Median hourly wage: $33.14
- Total employment: 70 people (2.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $71,280
- Median hourly wage: $34.27
- Total employment: 210 people (8.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $73,100
- Median hourly wage: $35.15
- Total employment: 190 people (7.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $74,040
- Median hourly wage: $35.60
- Total employment: 70 people (2.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $75,250
- Median hourly wage: $36.18
- Total employment: 90 people (3.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $75,310
- Median hourly wage: $36.21
- Total employment: 60 people (2.5 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: $75,440
- Median hourly wage: $36.27
- Total employment: 50 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $75,520
- Median hourly wage: $36.31
- Total employment: 190 people (7.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $78,380
- Median hourly wage: $37.69
- Total employment: 30 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $84,460
- Median hourly wage: $40.61
- Total employment: 90 people (3.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

44 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $85,730
- Median hourly wage: $41.22
- Total employment: 80 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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45 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $86,400
- Median hourly wage: $41.54
- Total employment: 110 people (4.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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46 / 50

#5. Radiologic technologists and technicians

- Median annual wage: $86,510
- Median hourly wage: $41.59
- Total employment: 40 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#3. Construction and building inspectors (tie)

- Median annual wage: $94,310
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 40 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Real estate sales agents (tie)

- Median annual wage: $94,310
- Median hourly wage: $45.34
- Total employment: 40 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Paramedics

- Median annual wage: $102,430
- Median hourly wage: $49.25
- Total employment: 40 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Dental hygienists

- Median annual wage: $103,790
- Median hourly wage: $49.90
- Total employment: 50 people (1.75 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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