30 US jobs that pay up to $94,260 a year and don't require a four-year degree

Students at San Juan College in the U.S. Photo courtesy of San Juan College

Some of the fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. pay close to six figures and need no more than an associate's degree, with dental hygienists topping the field at a median US$94,260 a year, according to federal labor data.

The roles span healthcare, science and engineering, and every one can be entered with an associate's degree, a postsecondary nondegree award, or a high school diploma, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said in a Career Outlook report published in February. Each is also projected to grow at or above the 3% average rate for all U.S. jobs through 2034, the agency's latest projection cycle.

What stands out is the inversion at the top of the list: the best-paid of these jobs out-earn many that require a bachelor's degree. Most clear the $49,500 median wage for all U.S. workers, and the strongest cluster is in healthcare, where technical roles combine high pay with fast growth.

Among healthcare practitioner and technical jobs, dental hygienists earn the most at a median $94,260, followed by diagnostic medical sonographers at $89,340 and MRI technologists at $88,180, all requiring only an associate's degree, according to BLS. Psychiatric technicians and ophthalmic medical technicians are the fastest-growing in this group, each projected to expand 20% by 2034.

Occupation

Projected growth, 2024-34

Median wage, 2024

Minimum education

Psychiatric technicians

20%

$42,590

Postsecondary nondegree award

Ophthalmic medical technicians

20%

$44,080

Postsecondary nondegree award

Hearing aid specialists

18%

$61,560

High school diploma or equivalent

Health information technologists and medical registrars

15%

$67,310

Associate's degree

Diagnostic medical sonographers

13%

$89,340

Associate's degree

Respiratory therapists

12%

$80,450

Associate's degree

Veterinary technologists and technicians

9%

$45,980

Associate's degree

Magnetic resonance imaging technologists

7%

$88,180

Associate's degree

Medical records specialists

7%

$50,250

Postsecondary nondegree award

Dental hygienists

7%

$94,260

Associate's degree

Healthcare support roles grow even faster.

Physical therapist assistants, at a median salary of $65,510, are projected to expand 22% through 2034, the fastest of any job on the list, while occupational therapy assistants lead the group on pay at $68,340, BLS data show.

Occupation

Projected growth, 2024-34

Median wage, 2024

Minimum education

Physical therapist assistants

22%

$65,510

Associate's degree

Occupational therapy assistants

19%

$68,340

Associate's degree

Home health and personal care aides

17%

$34,900

High school diploma or equivalent

Massage therapists

15%

$57,950

Postsecondary nondegree award

Medical assistants

13%

$44,200

Postsecondary nondegree award

Medical equipment preparers

10%

$46,490

High school diploma or equivalent

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

9%

$37,320

High school diploma or equivalent

Dental assistants

6%

$47,300

Postsecondary nondegree award

Phlebotomists

6%

$43,660

Postsecondary nondegree award

Other healthcare support occupations

4%

$46,050

High school diploma or equivalent

Outside healthcare, the science and engineering roles pay well but grow more slowly.

In life, physical, and social science, occupational health and safety technicians are the fastest-growing at 9%, though BLS notes most of these jobs require one to 12 months of on-the-job training to learn equipment, production techniques, or sample-handling procedures.

Occupation

Projected growth, 2024-34

Median wage, 2024

Minimum education

Occupational health and safety technicians

9%

$58,440

High school diploma or equivalent

Food science technicians

5%

$49,430

Associate's degree

Agricultural technicians

4%

$46,790

Associate's degree

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

4%

$49,490

Associate's degree

Chemical technicians

4%

$57,790

Associate's degree

Other life, physical, and social science technicians

4%

$60,130

Associate's degree

In architecture and engineering, aerospace engineering and operations technologists lead on both counts, with a median $79,830 and projected 8% growth, according to BLS.

Occupation

Projected growth, 2024-34

Median wage, 2024

Minimum education

Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians

8%

$79,830

Associate's degree

Calibration technologists and technicians

5%

$65,040

Associate's degree

Surveying and mapping technicians

5%

$51,940

High school diploma or equivalent

Architectural and civil drafters

4%

$64,280

Associate's degree

A few no-degree jobs pay even more but are shrinking. Nuclear technicians, for instance, earn a median $104,240, the highest of any role BLS tracks in these fields, but their numbers are projected to fall 8% by 2034.

Most openings across the growing occupations will come from the need to replace workers who retire or change jobs, the agency said, rather than from newly created positions.