Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in McAllen

Written by:
July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in McAllen

Although it all depends on what you make of it, choosing to further your education may lead to higher paying job opportunities. An associate's degree takes just two years and offers more affordable tuition rates than a four-year school. As of April 2022, the average yearly salary for an individual with an associate's degree comes out to $45,989.

Students have a plethora of specialties to choose from when obtaining a 2-year degree, from industry-specific roles in health care or IT or a more generalized education path. Salaries differ between areas of study, job type, experience, and, of course, location. A Georgetown University study that looked at job growth and education requirements through 2020 stated that 30% of job openings required "at least some college or an associate's degree." Students can choose to head right into the workforce after earning an associate's, or continue their education toward earning a bachelor's degree.

The unemployment rate for associate's degree holders is only 2%, according to research from the Education Data Initiative. Having an associate's degree under your belt is proven to increase one's chance of holding a professional or management position in any number of industries, among them education and health, wholesale retail and trade, and professional and business services.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest and lowest paying jobs that require a 2-year degree in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#20. Veterinary technologists and technicians

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $30,500
- #384 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

National
- Annual mean salary: $37,860
- Employment: 109,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($57,990)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,220)
--- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ($51,340)

#19. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $35,450
- #378 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $44,170
- Employment: 108,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,080)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,410)
--- Napa, CA ($54,120)

#18. Medical equipment repairers

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $36,460
- #191 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $55,090
- Employment: 48,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($84,820)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,030)
--- Reno, NV ($83,450)

#17. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $39,110
- #162 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $50,960
- Employment: 31,860
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($79,780)
--- Huntsville, AL ($78,320)
--- Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($76,970)

#16. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $39,150
- #225 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,940
- Employment: 55,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($99,130)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($94,400)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($92,140)

#15. Preschool teachers, except special education

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $39,490
- #86 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 990

National
- Annual mean salary: $36,550
- Employment: 370,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($49,990)
--- Ocean City, NJ ($49,720)
--- Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ ($49,560)

#14. Paralegals and legal assistants

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $40,540
- #443 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 670

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,610
- Employment: 332,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($90,640)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($76,960)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,640)

#13. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $42,130
- #296 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,590
- Employment: 67,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,190)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($83,250)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($81,340)

#12. Architectural and civil drafters

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $46,200
- #351 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,120
- Employment: 99,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC ($76,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,700)
--- Anchorage, AK ($75,650)

#11. Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $51,280
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,790
- Employment: 13,210
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($95,360)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($82,470)
--- Trenton, NJ ($80,110)

#10. Radiologic technologists and technicians

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $53,530
- #398 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,840
- Employment: 206,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($127,890)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($118,480)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($118,100)

#9. Computer network support specialists

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $55,620
- #364 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,040
- Employment: 184,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($94,120)
--- Barnstable Town, MA ($93,670)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($92,190)

#8. Respiratory therapists

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $60,210
- #207 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,640
- Employment: 131,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($113,450)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,330)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($101,690)

#7. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $62,310
- #214 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $68,310
- Employment: 115,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area ($99,890)
--- Fort Collins, CO ($91,980)
--- Bakersfield, CA ($90,780)

#6. Physical therapist assistants

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $65,430
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,440
- Employment: 92,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($85,960)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,740)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($76,390)

#5. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $68,990
- #113 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $75,960
- Employment: 39,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($133,590)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($127,930)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($120,550)

#4. Occupational therapy assistants

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $70,080
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

National
- Annual mean salary: $63,420
- Employment: 42,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($85,570)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($77,720)
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($77,650)

#3. Diagnostic medical sonographers

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $72,410
- #180 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170

National
- Annual mean salary: $77,790
- Employment: 73,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($138,110)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($137,140)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($131,080)

#2. Dental hygienists

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $82,560
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230

National
- Annual mean salary: $78,050
- Employment: 194,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($125,750)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($122,660)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($119,320)

#1. Radiation therapists

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Annual mean salary: $129,670
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $94,300
- Employment: 17,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($169,080)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($159,660)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($131,960)

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