The Best 2-Year Colleges In Every State

If you’re weighing the difference between a bachelor’s and an associate degree, you might be doing so for a variety of reasons. For example, perhaps you want to attend a college close to home, or perhaps you’re searching for a specialized major at a two-year school. For most people, their decision is usually influenced by some combination of these things… not to mention the fact that you want to attend college somewhere that will actually benefit you financially.

If you are college-bound, you’ve probably spent countless hours doing research on this very topic. To help you in your college search, PayScale has compiled data on over one thousand two-year colleges for our 2017 College Salary Report,which ranks the best two-year and four-year colleges in every state. For this report, we define “best colleges” as the colleges where graduates have the highest median mid-career salaries.

Alabama

Best 2 Year College: University of Mobile
Mid-Career Salary: $66,600
City: Mobile

Alaska

Best 2 Year College: University of Alaska Anchorage
Mid-Career Salary: $71,000
City: Anchorage

Arizona

Best 2 Year College: Glendale Community College
Mid-Career Salary: $73,800
City: Glendale

Arkansas

Best 2 Year College: Southern Arkansas University
Mid-Career Salary: $65,600
City: Magnolia

California

Best 2 Year College: Pacific Union College
Mid-Career Salary: $85,400
City: Angwin

Colorado

Best 2 Year College: Colorado Northwestern University
Mid-Career Salary: $72,300
City: Rangley

Connecticut

Best 2 Year College: St. Vincent’s College
Mid-Career Salary: $75,100
City: Bridgeport

Delaware

Best 2 Year College: Wesley College
Mid-Career Salary: $59,700
City: Dover

Florida

Best 2 Year College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worlwide
Mid-Career Salary: $74,800
City: Online

Georgia

Best 2 Year College: Kennesaw State University
Mid-Career Salary: $67,800
City: Kennesaw

Hawaii

Best 2 Year College: Hawaii Pacific University
Mid-Career Salary: $65,600
City: Honolulu

Idaho

Best 2 Year College: Idaho State University
Mid-Career Salary: $62,300
City: Pocatello

Illinois

Best 2 Year College: Prairie State College
Mid-Career Salary: $70,700
City: Chicago Heights

Indiana

Best 2 Year College: Indiana University
Mid-Career Salary: $68,900
City: Bloomington

Iowa

Best 2 Year College: Northwest Iowa Community College
Mid-Career Salary: $65,800
City: Sheldon

Kansas

Best 2 Year College: Northwest Kansas Technical College
Mid-Career Salary: $66,800
City: Goodland

Kentucky

Best 2 Year College: Kentucky State University
Mid-Career Salary: $65,100
City: Frankfort

Louisiana

Best 2 Year College: Louisiana State University
Mid-Career Salary: $71,700
City: Baton Rouge

Maine

Best 2 Year College: Northern Maine Community College
Mid-Career Salary: $59,500
City: Presque Isle

Maryland

Best 2 Year College: University of Maryland-University College
Mid-Career Salary: $70,300
City: Adelphi

Massachusetts

Best 2 Year College: Laboure College
Mid-Career Salary: $83,300
City: Boston

Michigan

Best 2 Year College: Michigan Technological University
Mid-Career Salary: $74,400
City: Houghton

Minnesota

Best 2 Year College: Dunwoody College of Technology
Mid-Career Salary: $73,600
City: Minneapolis

Mississippi

Best 2 Year College: Pearl River Community College
Mid-Career Salary: $59,200
City: Poplarville

Missouri

Best 2 Year College: Ranken Technical College
Mid-Career Salary: $68,200
City: St. Louis

Montana

Best 2 Year College: Montana State University-Northern
Mid-Career Salary: $67,400
City: Havre

Nebraska

Best 2 Year College: College of St. Mary
Mid-Career Salary: $62,300
City: Omaha

Nevada

Best 2 Year College: Great Basin College
Mid-Career Salary: $62,300
City: Elko

New Hampshire

Best 2 Year College: Rivier University
Mid-Career Salary: $74,500
City: Nashua

New Jersey

Best 2 Year College: County College of Morris
Mid-Career Salary: $69,900
City: Randolph

New Mexico

Best 2 Year College: Eastern New Mexico University
Mid-Career Salary: $66,100
City: Portales

New York

Best 2 Year College: Helene Fuld College of Nursing
Mid-Career Salary: $87,300
City: New York City

North Carolina

Best 2 Year College: Campbell University
Mid-Career Salary: $68,300
City: Buies Creek

North Dakota

Best 2 Year College: Bismarck State College
Mid-Career Salary:$61,900
City: Bismarck

Ohio

Best 2 Year College: Kettering College
Mid-Career Salary: $75,500
City: Kettering

Oklahoma

Best 2 Year College: Bacone College
Mid-Career Salary: $63,200
City: Muskogee

Oregon

Best 2 Year College: Oregon Institute of Technology
Mid-Career Salary: $64,800
City: Klamath Falls

Pennsylvania

Best 2 Year College: Drexel University
Mid-Career Salary: $74,300
City: Philadelphia

Rhode Island

Best 2 Year College: New England Institute of Technology
Mid-Career Salary: $64,800
City: Warwick

South Carolina

Best 2 Year College: Florence-Darlington Technical College
Mid-Career Salary: $60,100
City: Florence

South Dakota

Best 2 Year College: University of South Dakota
Mid-Career Salary: $66,900
City: Vermillion

Tennessee

Best 2 Year College: Aquinas College
Mid-Career Salary: $71,500
City: Nashville

Texas

Best 2 Year College: Galveston College
Mid-Career Salary: $70,200
City: Galveston

Utah

Best 2 Year College: Weber State University
Mid-Career Salary: $68,900
City: Odgen

Vermont

Best 2 Year College: Vermont Technical College
Mid-Career Salary: $65,200
City: Randolph

Virginia

Best 2 Year College: Regent University
Mid-Career Salary: $74,500
City: Virginia Beach

Washington

Best 2 Year College: Bellevue College
Mid-Career Salary: $73,100
City: Bellevue

West Virginia

Best 2 Year College: Davis & Elkins College
Mid-Career Salary: $62,000
City: Elkins

Wisconsin

Best 2 Year College: University of Wisconsin Colleges
Mid-Career Salary: $62,500
City: Madison

Wyoming

Best 2 Year College: Laramie County Community College
Mid-Career Salary: $58,600
City: Fox-Farm College

Tell Us What You Think!

Is your alma mater included in our list? We want to hear from you! Comment below or join the discussion on Twitter!

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