Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in St. Louis

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 St. Louis, MO-IL using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#36. Dietetic technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $29,290
– #87 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 140

National
– Annual mean salary: $32,920
– Employment: 26,430
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,550)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,700)
— Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($48,370)

#35. Veterinary technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $36,420
– #172 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 620

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)

#34. Preschool teachers, except special education

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $36,960
– #140 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 2,860

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)

#33. Forest and conservation technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $37,530
– #156 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: data not available

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)

#32. Desktop publishers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $42,060
– #20 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 70

National
– Annual mean salary: $50,600
– Employment: 7,090
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,880)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($68,860)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($66,400)

#31. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $45,760
– #67 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 770

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)

#30. Chemical technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $49,250
– #166 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 350

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)

#29. Broadcast technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $50,720
– #27 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 90

National
– Annual mean salary: $49,250
– Employment: 25,960
– Metros with highest average pay:
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($75,430)
— Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY ($70,990)
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,950)

#28. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $51,430
– #63 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)

#27. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $51,560
– #58 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 330

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)

#26. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $52,510
– #196 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 890

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)

#25. Medical equipment repairers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $53,800
– #98 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 670

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)

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

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $54,140
– #46 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 160

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)

#23. Occupational therapy assistants

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $56,300
– #179 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 390

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)

#22. Physical therapist assistants

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $56,340
– #278 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,130

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)

#21. Paralegals and legal assistants

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $56,490
– #84 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 2,990

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)

#20. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $59,020
– #96 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 410

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)

#19. Mechanical drafters

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $60,180
– #99 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 690

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)

#18. Radiologic technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $60,310
– #198 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,590

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)

#17. Respiratory therapists

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $61,720
– #160 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,270

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)

#16. Architectural and civil drafters

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $62,550
– #45 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 980

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)

#15. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $62,880
– #59 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 120

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)

#14. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $63,140
– #24 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 350

National
– Annual mean salary: $59,000
– Employment: 24,560
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area ($82,420)
— Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($79,240)
— Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($73,940)

#13. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $65,290
– #44 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 300

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)

#12. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $69,360
– #100 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 430

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. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $71,010
– #93 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 480

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)

#10. Embalmers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $72,090
– #2 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 80

National
– Annual mean salary: $50,220
– Employment: 3,860
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ($86,140)
— St. Louis, MO-IL ($72,090)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,000)

#9. Dental hygienists

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $73,280
– #239 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 1,430

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)

#8. Electrical and electronics drafters

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $74,040
– #16 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 260

National
– Annual mean salary: $65,720
– Employment: 23,020
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($98,380)
— Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($86,920)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($83,760)

#6. Avionics technicians

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $74,740
– #13 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 230

National
– Annual mean salary: $69,180
– Employment: 21,390
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($92,470)
— Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($87,670)
— California-Lexington Park, MD ($83,930)

#5. Diagnostic medical sonographers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $75,250
– #144 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 630

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)

#4. Funeral home managers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $76,490
– #33 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 100

National
– Annual mean salary: $91,530
– Employment: 10,010
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($116,760)
— Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ ($115,400)
— New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($112,820)

#3. Nuclear medicine technologists

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $77,320
– #53 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 180

National
– Annual mean salary: $82,080
– Employment: 17,510
– Metros with highest average pay:
— San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($149,860)
— San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($148,240)
— Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA ($135,080)

#2. Radiation therapists

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $84,700
– #49 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 170

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)

#1. Air traffic controllers

St. Louis, MO-IL
– Annual mean salary: $109,390
– #24 highest pay among all metros
– Employment: 110

National
– Annual mean salary: $127,440
– Employment: 22,190
– Metros with highest average pay:
— Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($158,210)
— Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($154,180)
— Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($153,770)