An associate's degree in health care takes two years and costs $25,000–$35,000 at a community college. The median salary for associate-degree health care careers is $75,000—triple the investment in five years. This page ranks associate's programs by return on investment over 20 years.
Editorial Team
Associate's degree health care careers hit the sweet spot: high enough salaries to build real wealth, low enough cost that student debt stays manageable. Two years at a community college for $25k–$35k, followed by a $70k–$90k salary, produces the best balance of ROI and salary ceiling in health care.
This analysis uses the same 20-year ROI methodology as our main rankings, with scores percentile-normalized across all tracked health care careers in our dataset. Education cost comes from College Scorecard data; salaries from BLS OEWS medians.
A note about registered nurses: You can become an RN with an associate's degree (ADN), but many hospitals now prefer or require a BSN. An RN-to-BSN bridge program ($10k–$20k, 12–18 months online) is increasingly expected within 5 years of hire. The ROI here reflects the ADN entry path.
This is part of our Best ROI Health Care Careers series. Also see: Certificates | Graduate Programs
Bubble size = overall score. Y-axis = BLS growth rate. X-axis = AI resilience score.
Associate's degree health care careers with the highest return on educational investment over 20 years.
All associate's degree health care careers ranked by 20-year net earnings.
| Rank ↑ | Career ↕ | 20-Year Net ↕ | Salary ↕ | Growth ↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Radiation Therapist | $1.7M Strong | $98k/yr High | 1.2% Below Average | View Details |
#2 | Dental Hygienist | $1.6M Strong | $94k/yr High | 6.9% Average | View Details |
#3 | Registered Nurse | $1.6M Strong | $94k/yr High | 6.2% Average | View Details |
#4 | Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $1.6M Strong | $93k/yr High | 3.2% Average | View Details |
#5 | Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $1.5M Solid | $85k/yr High | 10.2% Fast | View Details |
#6 | Ultrasound Technician | $1.5M Solid | $85k/yr High | 10.2% Fast | View Details |
#7 | Respiratory Therapist | $1.3M Solid | $78k/yr Above Average | 8.4% Fast | View Details |
#8 | Radiologic Technologist | $1.3M Solid | $73k/yr Above Average | 5.8% Average | View Details |
#9 | Occupational Therapy Assistant | $1.2M Solid | $67k/yr Above Average | 9.9% Fast | View Details |
#10 | Physical Therapist Assistant | $1.1M Solid | $64k/yr Above Average | 14.2% Fast | View Details |
#11 | Cardiovascular Technician | $1.1M Solid | $63k/yr Above Average | 5.6% Average | View Details |
#12 | Medical Laboratory Technician | $1.0M Solid | $61k/yr Above Average | 5.2% Average | View Details |
#13 | Sleep Technologist | $1.0M Solid | $60k/yr Above Average | 8.1% Fast | View Details |
#14 | Histotechnologist | $1.0M Solid | $61k/yr Above Average | 5.2% Average | View Details |
#15 | Health Information Technician | $838k Solid | $49k/yr Average | 7.8% Fast | View Details |
#16 | Paramedic | $721k Modest | $39k/yr Average | 5.1% Average | View Details |
The 20-Year Net Earnings figure is calculated using a year-by-year model starting from enrollment. During the two-year education period, income is $0. After training, salary follows a trajectory from entry-level (BLS 25th percentile) through mid-career (50th percentile) to experienced (75th percentile). The net figure is total income minus average education cost over the 20-year window. Rankings are sorted by 20-year net earnings, showing the absolute dollar return over a career's first two decades.