15 Fast-growing, High-paying Jobs That Only Require An Associate's Degree
A dental hygienist is one job that pays above the median wage and is projected to see job growth over a decade. Unlike dentists or orthodontists, that job typically only needs an associate's degree. Insider looked at growing jobs that pay decently and only need an associate's degree. Dental hygienist,
With a median annual pay of $77,810, this job also pays above the median annual wage for all jobs in the US, which is $45,760.
Unlike dentists or orthodontists — which are actually projected to see smaller increases in employment from 2021 to 2031 compared to dental hygienists — a dental hygienist typically doesn't need a doctoral or professional degree for entry. They typically only need an associate's degree.
An insider recently analyzed jobs that pay above the median annual wage for all occupations in the US and have some kind of job growth over 10 years, from 2021 to 2031. After ranking our list of high-paying, growing jobs based on the geometric mean of projected job growth from 2021 to 2031 and median annual wages, we wanted to just look at the set of jobs that make the top of the list when only looking at those that typically need an associate's degree.
With this methodology, paralegals and legal assistants made the top of this list. This job has a typical pay of $56,230 and is projected to grow by 49,900 from 2021 to 2031.
The following are 15 occupations that typically only need an associate's degree for entry, that pay above the median annual pay, and are projected to see future job growth.
These High-Paying Jobs Are Only Growing Over The Next Decade
SmartAsset: High-Paying Jobs That Are Expected to Grow Over the Next Decade - 2022 Edition
Many people looking for a new job are rethinking their priorities. In fact, from April 2020 to June 2021, the demand for flexible work arrangements grew at a faster pace than any other work priority, according to LinkedIn’s Talent Drivers Survey.
For some workers, however, job stability (which can help fund long-term goals like home buying, starting a family, and retirement) remains the most important factor. In fact, as of June 2021, compensation and benefits still outranked work-life balance as the top priority for job seekers.
In this study, SmartAsset analyzed data across nearly 800 occupations to find the most stable and lucrative jobs. Specifically, we ranked high-paying jobs that are expected to grow over the next decade.
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This is SmartAsset’s 2022 study on the highest-paying jobs that are expected to grow over the next decade. You can read the previous version here.
Data and Methodology
Of the total 790 occupations delineated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), SmartAsset filtered for those with greater than 10% projected growth in employment over the next 10 years. Additionally, we only considered occupations with 2021 average earnings greater than $68,590 (which is the 75th percentile of annual earnings nationally). This left us with 42 high-paying jobs that are expected to grow over the next decade.
To rank those jobs further, we compared them across four metrics: 10-year expected percentage growth in employment, 10-year expected growth in the number of workers, 2021 average earnings, and four-year change in earnings from 2017 to 2021.
We ranked each occupation in those four metrics, giving each an equal weight. We then found each occupation’s average ranking. The job with the best average ranking places first in our study while the job with the lowest average ranking places last.
Key Findings
Four of the top 10 occupations require in-person work. Though remote work is increasing in popularity, nearly half of the top 10 occupations in our study require in-person schedules. This includes the No. 1 and No. 3 occupations, namely, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Business and financial occupations outrank life, physical, and social science jobs. In the previous edition of this study, six occupations belonging to the life, physical, and social science categories made our list. However, just four occupations made the cut this year. Conversely, business and financial occupations doubled their presence on the list, growing from three to six.
Five occupations are expected to grow by more than 30% over the next 10 years. Nationally, the total workforce is expected to grow by 5.3% from 2021 to 2031. This figure is significantly larger for some occupations, however. In our study, the following five occupations may expect substantial growth: nurse practitioners (45.7%); athletes & sports competitors (35.7%); information security analysts (34.7%); statisticians (32.7%), and web developers (30.3%).
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
Like last year’s edition of this study, a majority of the top jobs are healthcare practitioners and technical occupations. It amounts to a whopping 12 occupations, distributed evenly across the study. The No. 1 and No. 3 occupations (nurse practitioners and physician assistants, respectively) belong to this category. At the other end of the list, the No. 40 and No. 42 occupations (audiologists and chiropractors) also fall in this category.
Four of the occupations in this category earn over $100,000 on average, with nurse anesthetists earning over $200,000 (No. 1 for this metric). The other eight occupations all have average earnings that exceed $79,000.
In the coming 10 years, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations will experience anywhere from 10% to 45% employment growth. The top-ranking trade (nurse practitioners) is projected to have the highest percentage change in employment over the next decade (45.7%, or an addition of roughly 112,700 workers). And two other occupations in this category (physician assistants and speech-language pathologists) are also expected to see employment growth that exceeds 20%.
Computer and Mathematical Occupations
All six computer and mathematical occupations rank in the top 15 study-wide. One of the information security analysts - ranks as the No. 2 job overall. The average information security analyst earns roughly $113,300 (up by nearly 14% since 2017). Moreover, the position is expected to grow by 34.7% over the coming 10 years - the third-most across all 42 occupations.
The other five occupations include:
Across those five occupations, computer & information research scientists have the highest earnings and pay increases. In 2021, average earnings for computer & information research scientists stood at almost $142,700, up more than 19% from 2017.
Business and Financial Operations Occupations
Six of the 42 top occupations are business and financial operations jobs, and two of them rank in the top 20. They include:
Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes
Personal financial advisors
Management analysts
Market research analysts and marketing specialists
Logisticians
Financial examiners
When it comes to income, personal financial advisors earn the eighth-highest average income study-wide ($119,960). Two other occupations in this category also have average earnings greater than $100,000: agents & business managers of artists, performers & athletes ($116,410) and management analysts ($100,530).
Over the next 10 years, all six business and financial operations occupations are expected to grow by at least 13%. The occupation of logisticians is projected to have the largest growth with an expected employment increase of nearly 28% (or roughly 54,000 workers).
Tips for Making the Most of Your Paycheck
Project how far your income will stretch. “Adjusted for inflation, stagnant wages leave workers receiving less year over year, making it difficult to pay bills and afford basic household necessities. A worker's occupation of choice should have a clear progression path … [giving] workers the best chance at a higher salary,” says Andrew Gonzales, President of BusinessLoans.Com. Using SmartAsset’s paycheck calculator, see how taxes and deductions will impact your pay as you earn more over time.
See where you stand and plan for the future. Retirement is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Get a sense of what your projected retirement plan looks like now and how small changes can impact it for better or worse. Use our free retirement calculator to get started.
Work with an expert. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Remote Jobs Have Tripled During The PandemicThese Are The Top 10 Companies Hiring For Them
Though people are returning to in-office work, the option for remote work remains high and is likely to keep growing.
The share of jobs that explicitly say workers can be remote has nearly tripled from pre-pandemic, from roughly 4% in 2019 to nearly 12% of jobs in 2022, according to ZipRecruiter data.
Some previous growth is now reversing as people resume in-person activities, particularly in education, tourism, agriculture, and sports and recreation jobs, according to the job-search platform. Remote roles in business, arts, entertainment, finance, and insurance have leveled off throughout the last two years.
But elsewhere, remote opportunities are rapidly expanding: technology, legal, engineering, and science jobs are well-suited for remote work, and organizations — especially in health care, financial services, and tech — are continuing to offer them.
Here are the top 10 companies hiring for the largest share of remote-capable jobs on ZipRecruiter in 2022:
Upwards of 60% of job seekers hope to find remote opportunities, according to ZipRecruiter data. And a similar share, 56%, of full-time U.S. Workers — more than 70 million people — say their job can be done working remotely from home, according to Gallup.
Women are more likely than men to prefer remote work, and Black, Asian American, and Latino workers are more likely than white peers to want the setup, per ZipRecruiter. Workplace experts have said throughout the pandemic that greater adoption of flexible work arrangements could help boost company diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Since the beginning of 2022, workers say Covid concerns are becoming less of a reason for wanting to work remotely, but a desire to save on commuting costs has gone up considerably. The typical job-seeker would even take a 14% pay cut in order to work remotely, with younger workers and higher earners willing to give up even more for the flexibility.
Looking ahead, Gallup estimates 55% of jobs in the future will be done in a hybrid setup, and 22% will be done fully remote — nearly three times the share of exclusively remote jobs available before the pandemic. It projects just 23% of jobs will be done exclusively from a worksite, down from 60% of solely in-person work done in 2019.
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