The 35 Two-Year Colleges That Produce the Highest Earners

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Antonio Guillen / Shutterstock.com

You don’t necessarily need to get a four-year college degree to end up with a good job and a good salary. Here are the top 35 two-year degree colleges in the country, ranked by midcareer salary of their graduates. The rankings come from the 2016-2017 PayScale College Salary Report released by Payscale.com.

No. 35: Seattle Central Community College — Seattle, Washington

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Edmund Lowe Photography / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,500
Early-career median pay: $48,000
Website: http://www.seattlecentral.edu/

No. 34: Texas State Technical College, Waco Campus — Waco, Texas

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Suhendri / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,600
Early-career median pay: $41,500
Website: http://www.waco.tstc.edu/

No. 33: Harper College — Palatine, Illinois

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andresr / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,600
Early-career median pay: $39,400
Website: http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/

No. 32: Eastern Maine Community College — Bangor, Maine

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EQRoy / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,700
Early-career median pay: $31,100
Website: http://www.emcc.edu/

No. 31: Norwalk Community College — Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk Community College / Money Talks News
Norwalk Community College / Money Talks News

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,700
Early-career median pay: $40,300
Website: http://norwalk.edu/

In the market for college funds? Check out “4 Sites That Make Finding College Scholarships Quick and Easy.”

No. 30: Pierce College Fort Steilacoom — Lakewood, Washington

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Phase4Studios / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,900
Early-career median pay: $35,800
Website: http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/

No. 29: El Camino College — Torrance, California

Cory Buczyk / Shutterstock.com
Cory Buczyk / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $62,900
Early-career median pay: $35,700
Website: http://www.elcamino.edu/

No. 28: Diablo Valley College — Pleasant Hill, California

Lynn Watson / Shutterstock.com
Lynn Watson / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,100
Early-career median pay: $36,600
Website: http://www.dvc.edu/

No. 27: Alvin Community College — Alvin, Texas

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RyFlip / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,200
Early-career median pay: $44,600
Website: http://www.alvincollege.edu/

Wherever you decide to go, you want to avoid getting buried in debt. Check out “Go to College Without Borrowing a Dime.”

No. 26: Bellevue College — Bellevue, Washington

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Nadia Borisevich / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,400
Early-career median pay: $43,100
Website: http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/

No. 25: Triton College — River Grove, Illinois

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Stock-Asso / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,400
Early-career median pay: $37,500
Website: http://www.triton.edu/

No. 24: Westchester Community College (SUNY) — Valhalla, New York

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wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,700
Early-career median pay: $41,400
Website: http://www.sunywcc.edu/

No. 23: Excelsior College — Albany, New York

 Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock.com
Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock.com

School type: Private not-for-profit
Midcareer median pay: $63,800
Early-career median pay: $55,700
Website: http://www.excelsior.edu/

No. 22: Los Angeles Trade Technical College — Los Angeles, California

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oneinchpunch / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,800
Early-career median pay: $31,500
Website: http://www.lattc.edu/

No. 21: Wharton County Junior College — Wharton, Texas

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Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,900
Early-career median pay: $38,600
Website: http://www.wcjc.edu/

No. 20: Central Ohio Technical College — Newark, Ohio

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Stock-Asso / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,900
Early-career median pay: $33,800
Website: http://www.cotc.edu/

No. 19: Mt. San Antonio College — Walnut, California

Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $63,900
Early-career median pay: $35,800
Website: http://www.mtsac.edu/

No. 18: County College of Morris — Randolph, New Jersey

Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $64,100
Early-career median pay: $38,500
Website: http://www.ccm.edu/

No. 17: West Valley College — Saratoga, California

Diego Cervo / Shutterstock.com
Diego Cervo / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $64,400
Early-career median pay: $39,900
Website: http://westvalley.edu/

No. 16: San Bernardino Valley College — San Bernardino, California

 Andresr / Shutterstock.com
Andresr / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $64,600
Early-career median pay: $41,100
Website: http://www.valleycollege.edu/

No. 15: College of the Canyons — Santa Clarita, California

Andresr / Shutterstock.com
Andresr / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $64,600
Early-career median pay: $38,100
Website: https://www.canyons.edu/

No. 14: Northern Virginia Community College — Springfield, Virginia

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ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $64,900
Early-career median pay: $39,400
Website: http://www.nvcc.edu/

No. 13: Kingsborough Community College (CUNY) — Brooklyn, New York

Diego Cervo / Shutterstock.com
Diego Cervo / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $65,000
Early-career median pay: $36,400
Website: http://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/

No. 12: Orange Coast College — Costa Mesa, California

Konstantin Chagin / Shutterstock.com
Konstantin Chagin / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $65,200
Early-career median pay: $38,700
Website: http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/

No. 11: Bergen Community College — Paramus, New Jersey

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Lex-art / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $65,600
Early-career median pay: $38,400
Website: http://bergen.edu/

No. 10: City College of San Francisco — San Francisco, California

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Engel Ching / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $65,700
Early-career median pay: $41,500
Website: https://www.ccsf.edu/

No. 9: El Centro College — Dallas, Texas

 f11photo / Shutterstock.com
f11photo / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $66,200
Early-career median pay: $44,300
Website: http://elcentrocollege.edu/

No. 8: San Jacinto College — Pasadena, Texas

 avemario / Shutterstock.com
avemario / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $66,300
Early-career median pay: $41,000
Website: http://www.sanjac.edu/

No. 7: De Anza College — Cupertino, California

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Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $66,600
Early-career median pay: $46,800
Website: http://deanza.edu/

No. 6: Moorpark College — Moorpark, California

Nejron Photo / Shutterstock.com
Nejron Photo / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $66,900
Early-career median pay: $36,600
Website: http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/

No. 5: Gloucester County College — Sewell, New Jersey

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michaeljung / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $67,100
Early-career median pay: $30,400
Website: https://www.rcgc.edu/

No. 4: Queensborough Community College (CUNY) — Bayside, New York

Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com
Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $68,400
Early-career median pay: $37,400
Website: http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/

No. 3: New York City College of Technology (CUNY) — Brooklyn, New York

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Ryan DeBerardinis / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $70,100
Early-career median pay: $40,000
Website: http://www2.cuny.edu/about/colleges-schools/citytech/

No. 2: Bakersfield College — Bakersfield, California

Richard Thornton / Shutterstock.com
Richard Thornton / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $71,500
Early-career median pay: $39,200
Website: https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/

No. 1: Fashion Institute of Technology — New York, New York

 Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com
Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com

School type: Public
Midcareer median pay: $74,600
Early-career median pay: $39,200
Website: http://www.fitnyc.edu/

And if you want to know more about community college options, take a look at this: “The Top 10 Community Colleges in the Country.”

What would your dream job — and college degree — be if money were no object? Share with us in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

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