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Highest Paying Jobs With an Associate Degree
The highest paying job with an associate degree is air traffic controller, with a median salary of $148,080 a year, followed by dental hygienist ($98,100) and diagnostic medical sonographer ($96,590). All 28 jobs with an associate degree below are ranked by median pay from the latest BLS wage survey (May 2025).
These jobs typically need an associate's degree, a two-year program at a community college or technical school. Many are in healthcare and engineering technology.
Highest Paying Jobs With an Associate Degree, ranked
of 28 jobs match.
| # | Job | Median | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air traffic controller Transportation and Material Moving | $148,080 | $71.19 | $215,610 | Associate's degree | 22,510 |
| 2 | Dental hygienist Healthcare Practitioners | $98,100 | $47.16 | $126,050 | Associate's degree | 222,740 |
| 3 | Diagnostic medical sonographer Healthcare Practitioners | $96,590 | $46.44 | $129,370 | Associate's degree | 90,160 |
| 4 | Magnetic resonance imaging technologist Healthcare Practitioners | $95,480 | $45.91 | $127,670 | Associate's degree | 43,390 |
| 5 | Respiratory therapist Healthcare Practitioners | $82,280 | $39.56 | $118,050 | Associate's degree | 139,790 |
| 6 | Radiologic technologist Healthcare Practitioners | $80,110 | $38.52 | $118,660 | Associate's degree | 230,490 |
| 7 | Electrical and electronic engineering technologist and technician Architecture and Engineering | $78,190 | $37.59 | $115,700 | Associate's degree | 95,130 |
| 8 | Computer network support specialist Computer and Mathematical | $76,220 | $36.64 | $127,780 | Associate's degree | 146,190 |
| 9 | Mechanical engineering technologist and technician Architecture and Engineering | $74,510 | $35.82 | $106,050 | Associate's degree | 36,190 |
| 10 | Cardiovascular technologist and technician Healthcare Practitioners | $74,310 | $35.73 | $121,350 | Associate's degree | 62,960 |
| 11 | Occupational therapy assistant Healthcare Support | $72,300 | $34.76 | $89,780 | Associate's degree | 51,290 |
| 12 | Mechanical drafter Architecture and Engineering | $71,550 | $34.40 | $106,580 | Associate's degree | 39,960 |
| 13 | Physical therapist assistant Healthcare Support | $68,380 | $32.88 | $89,510 | Associate's degree | 112,430 |
| 14 | Health information technologist and medical registrar Healthcare Practitioners | $68,020 | $32.70 | $117,420 | Associate's degree | 38,100 |
| 15 | Architectural and civil drafter Architecture and Engineering | $66,150 | $31.80 | $99,710 | Associate's degree | 103,700 |
| 16 | Industrial engineering technologist and technician Architecture and Engineering | $66,120 | $31.79 | $99,150 | Associate's degree | 75,570 |
| 17 | Civil engineering technologist and technician Architecture and Engineering | $64,950 | $31.23 | $98,980 | Associate's degree | 68,520 |
| 18 | Paralegal Legal | $62,890 | $30.24 | $101,500 | Associate's degree | 392,880 |
| 19 | Medical equipment repairer Installation, Maintenance and Repair | $61,660 | $29.64 | $98,280 | Associate's degree | 65,990 |
| 20 | Chemical technician Science | $60,390 | $29.03 | $92,040 | Associate's degree | 57,540 |
| 21 | Broadcast technician Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media | $59,570 | $28.64 | $123,670 | Associate's degree | 21,110 |
| 22 | Environmental science and protection technician Science | $55,090 | $26.49 | $94,160 | Associate's degree | 34,670 |
| 23 | Mortician, undertaker, and funeral arranger Personal Care and Service | $55,010 | $26.45 | $88,620 | Associate's degree | 25,100 |
| 24 | Forest and conservation technician Science | $54,560 | $26.23 | $83,630 | Associate's degree | 30,410 |
| 25 | Human resources assistant Office and Administrative Support | $50,610 | $24.33 | $68,280 | Associate's degree | 90,220 |
| 26 | Veterinary technologist and technician Healthcare Practitioners | $47,380 | $22.78 | $63,180 | Associate's degree | 129,140 |
| 27 | Preschool teacher Education and Library | $38,140 | $18.34 | $61,390 | Associate's degree | 478,780 |
| 28 | Dietetic technician Healthcare Practitioners | $37,640 | $18.09 | $54,020 | Associate's degree | 31,560 |
No job matches those filters.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published 2026), and Employment Projections education and training assignments (2025). Salaries are yearly medians before tax for wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. The median for all US jobs is $50,980. Jobs with fewer than 20,000 workers nationally are not listed.
About the Highest Paying Jobs
Highest Paying Jobs ranks 515 US jobs by what they actually pay, using the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025, published 2026). Filter the list by field, by the education a job needs to start, or by a minimum salary, and sort it by median pay, average pay, what the top 10% earn, hourly wage or the number of people in the job. Ready-made rankings answer the common questions: the highest paying jobs without a degree, with only a high school diploma, with an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree, entry-level and trade jobs, the best-paid jobs in healthcare, tech, engineering and ten other fields, and the highest paying jobs in each of the 50 states and Washington DC. Every job links to its own salary page with hourly pay, the full pay range and pay by state.
How to use it
- 1 Start with the full ranking, or pick a ready-made list such as jobs without a degree, a field or your state.
- 2 Narrow it down with the field, education and minimum pay filters, or search for a job.
- 3 Sort by median salary, top 10% pay, hourly wage or most workers.
- 4 Open any job to see its pay range, hourly and monthly pay and salary in every state.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest paying job with an associate degree?
Air traffic controller pays the most, with a median salary of $148,080 a year. The top three are air traffic controller ($148,080), dental hygienist ($98,100), diagnostic medical sonographer ($96,590).
How many jobs with an associate degree pay over $100,000?
1 of the 28 jobs with an associate degree have a median salary of $100,000 or more a year.
Which well-paid job with an associate degree has the most openings?
Radiologic technologist employs the most people among the best-paid jobs with an associate degree, with about 230,490 workers and a median salary of $80,110. More people in a job usually means more openings each year.
Which job with an associate degree pays the most per hour?
Air traffic controller has the highest median hourly wage, $71.19 an hour. Some jobs, such as teachers, are paid by the year only and have no hourly figure.
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