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

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July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in Port St. Lucie

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 Port St. Lucie, FL using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#19. Preschool teachers, except special education

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $28,810
- #437 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 560

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)

#18. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $34,500
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#17. Veterinary technologists and technicians

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $35,200
- #242 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210

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)

#16. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $41,460
- #206 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30

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)

#15. Paralegals and legal assistants

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $48,850
- #228 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 620

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)

#14. Medical equipment repairers

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $49,880
- #140 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#13. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $51,160
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#12. Architectural and civil drafters

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $52,410
- #264 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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)

#11. Mechanical drafters

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $54,280
- #172 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)

#10. Radiologic technologists and technicians

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $54,730
- #370 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270

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)

#9. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $56,370
- #281 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#8. Respiratory therapists

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $59,040
- #236 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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)

#7. Physical therapist assistants

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $62,640
- #107 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170

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)

#6. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $65,100
- #148 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#5. Occupational therapy assistants

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $66,670
- #56 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

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)

#4. Diagnostic medical sonographers

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $68,260
- #239 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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)

#3. Computer network support specialists

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $69,890
- #88 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#2. Dental hygienists

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $71,250
- #295 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290

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)

#1. Nuclear medicine technologists

Port St. Lucie, FL
- Annual mean salary: $72,680
- #82 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

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