Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Kennewick
Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Kennewick
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 Kennewick-Richland, WA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
#20. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Annual mean salary: $33,360
- #255 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290
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)
#19. Veterinary technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $44,090
- #27 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)
#18. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $44,220
- #277 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)
#17. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping
- Annual mean salary: $48,080
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)
#16. Physical therapist assistants
- Annual mean salary: $59,740
- #176 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)
#15. Chemical technicians
- Annual mean salary: $62,250
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,700
- Employment: 63,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($86,340)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($79,390)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($78,000)
#14. Mechanical drafters
- Annual mean salary: $63,020
- #73 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,490
- Employment: 51,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,540)
--- Corpus Christi, TX ($90,720)
--- New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($82,590)
#13. Architectural and civil drafters
- Annual mean salary: $64,270
- #29 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)
#12. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $64,820
- #165 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)
#11. Radiologic technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $65,840
- #104 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
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)
#10. Paralegals and legal assistants
- Annual mean salary: $67,280
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)
#9. Civil engineering technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $68,110
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)
#8. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $69,370
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,570
- Employment: 17,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($82,240)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($81,340)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($74,280)
#7. Respiratory therapists
- Annual mean salary: $71,270
- #55 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)
#6. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
- Annual mean salary: $74,300
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,880
- Employment: 39,880
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($112,580)
--- North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area ($91,580)
--- New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($91,550)
#5. Computer network support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $78,730
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)
#4. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health
- Annual mean salary: $79,780
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
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)
#3. Diagnostic medical sonographers
- Annual mean salary: $85,330
- #67 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
- Annual mean salary: $87,980
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)
#1. Dental hygienists
- Annual mean salary: $96,180
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
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)