Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Charlottesville

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July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Charlottesville

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 Charlottesville, VA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#14. Forest and conservation technicians

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $33,770
- #165 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 30,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($68,370)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($66,570)
--- Corvallis, OR ($62,260)

#13. Preschool teachers, except special education

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $35,910
- #179 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260

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)

#12. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $41,150
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

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)

#11. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $41,680
- #299 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#10. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $43,950
- #110 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#9. Paralegals and legal assistants

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $49,830
- #203 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240

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)

#8. Physical therapist assistants

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $49,960
- #426 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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)

#7. Medical equipment repairers

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $53,120
- #102 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)

#6. Architectural and civil drafters

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $53,640
- #238 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#5. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $57,680
- #134 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,920
- Employment: 62,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS ($94,360)
--- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($90,460)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($86,020)

#4. Computer network support specialists

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $59,050
- #300 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available

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)

#3. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $65,660
- #108 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220

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)

#2. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $78,920
- #34 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#1. Dental hygienists

Charlottesville, VA
- Annual mean salary: $80,230
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140

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)

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