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The Street

Samanda Dorger

27 Jobs That Pay Over $60,000 a Year With Just an Associate Degree

BLS

Education can be expensive, but it has great value beyond money. A well-rounded education teaches you more than just how to do a job. It teaches you life skills, appreciation for the sciences, art, music and nature, and how to be a more informed and productive member of society. (It also teaches you why those things matter.)

But education costs money, and recent student-loan forgiveness does little to help future college students avoid the burden of costly debt.

The cost of a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution now averages $16,647 a year for tuition and fees, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But the cost of an associate degree tuition and fees averages $3,621 a year.

So a two-year degree can cost you less than $7,300 (not including room and board) but a four-year degree could cost you over $66,500. You’d also spend two more years not earning a salary. Factor in the student-loan interest over time, that can add up to a lot of money.

The median weekly earnings for someone holding an associate degree is $938 (or $48,776 a year) while a bachelor’s degree is $1,305, or $67,860 a year, according to the BLS.

Statistics do show that over their lifetime, those with bachelor’s degrees earn more--but it can depend on the job.

Having some postsecondary education, even without earning any degree, adds nearly a quarter of a million dollars to lifetime earnings, according to a report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Getting an associate degree adds a bump of nearly $200,000 in lifetime earnings.

And about 28% of workers with associate degrees earn more than the median earnings of workers with bachelor’s degrees, the report says.

Some low-paying college majors, such as fine arts or family & consumer sciences, pay median salaries of $38,000 to $32,000, respectively. That's well below the median $67,860 for all bachelor's holders.

So which are the high paying jobs for an associate degree?

We searched the BLS to create this list of jobs that pay more than $60,000 a year and only require an associate degree. Three of them pay more than $80,000. The list includes 2021 median pay, projected growth rates through 2031, and how much (if any) on-the-job training is required. (Don't forget, on-the-job training pays you to learn.) We also added three jobs at the end that only require a high-school diploma that pay over $60,000 and even over $80,000 a year.

27 Jobs That Pay Over $60,000 a Year With Just an Associate Degree

Air Traffic Controllers

Nuclear Technicians

Radiation Therapists

Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Dental Hygienists

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

Funeral Home Managers

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

Avionics Technicians

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Computer Network Support Specialists

Hydrologic Technicians

Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters

Respiratory Therapists

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

Physical Therapist Assistants

Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians

Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians

Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers

Architectural and Civil Drafters

Calibration Technologists and Technicians

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Mechanical Drafters

Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers

Subway and Streetcar Operators

Flight Attendants