Community and two-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens, NY: $104k
- #2 Jersey College, NJ: $66k
- #3 MIAT College of Technology, MI: $63k
- 100 colleges ranked across the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $40k across the typical college in this list.
- 1St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens NY$104k
- 2Jersey College NJ$66k
- 3MIAT College of Technology MI$63k
- 4Hondros College of Nursing OH$59k
- 5Perry Technical Institute WA$58k
- 6De Anza College CA$57k
- 7State Technical College of Missouri MO$56k
- 8Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology PA$55k
- 9Ohlone College CA$54k
- 10College of San Mateo CA$54k
What stands out
- The lead is wide: St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens ($104k) is well clear of College of San Mateo at #10 ($54k).
- St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens reaches #1 on a sample of 1,056 students enrolled, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- De Anza College is the largest market in the top ten, with 15,264 students enrolled behind its figure.
- Colleges with fewer than 1,000 students enrolled are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Median earnings ten years after enrolling show what former students of a college go on to earn, as the Department of Education publishes it.
How to use it
Compare colleges within the same level and field, and read earnings next to completion rate and net price. Earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as the college.
The top 25
- 1
St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens NY
$104k
- Completion rate
- 56%
- Net price a year
- $26,315
- Private for-profit
- 1,056 students
Based on 1,056 students enrolled.
St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 2
Jersey College NJ
$66k
- Completion rate
- 45%
- Net price a year
- $52,558
- Private for-profit
- 4,478 students
Based on 4,478 students enrolled.
- 3
MIAT College of Technology MI
$63k
- Completion rate
- 64%
- Net price a year
- $22,985
- Private for-profit
- 1,417 students
Based on 1,417 students enrolled.
MIAT College of Technology: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 4
Hondros College of Nursing OH
$59k
- Completion rate
- 21%
- Net price a year
- $26,014
- Private for-profit
- 3,857 students
Based on 3,857 students enrolled.
Hondros College of Nursing: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 5
Perry Technical Institute WA
$58k
- Completion rate
- 79%
- Net price a year
- $20,047
- Private nonprofit
- 1,072 students
Based on 1,072 students enrolled.
Perry Technical Institute: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 6
De Anza College CA
$57k
- Completion rate
- 68%
- Net price a year
- $6,642
- Public
- 15,264 students
Based on 15,264 students enrolled.
- 7
- Completion rate
- 84%
- Net price a year
- $15,190
- Public
- 2,123 students
Based on 2,123 students enrolled.
State Technical College of Missouri: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 8
- Completion rate
- 71%
- Net price a year
- $14,104
- Public
- 1,446 students
Based on 1,446 students enrolled.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 9
Ohlone College CA
$54k
- Completion rate
- 52%
- Net price a year
- $11,130
- Public
- 7,099 students
Based on 7,099 students enrolled.
- 10
College of San Mateo CA
$54k
- Completion rate
- 61%
- Net price a year
- $536
- Public
- 7,977 students
Based on 7,977 students enrolled.
- 11
- Completion rate
- 33%
- Net price a year
- $9,919
- Public
- 33,048 students
Based on 33,048 students enrolled.
Northern Virginia Community College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 12
Evergreen Valley College CA
$53k
- Completion rate
- 41%
- Net price a year
- $12,414
- Public
- 7,688 students
Based on 7,688 students enrolled.
Evergreen Valley College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 13
Refrigeration School Inc AZ
$53k
- Completion rate
- 76%
- Net price a year
- $27,025
- Private for-profit
- 1,346 students
Based on 1,346 students enrolled.
Refrigeration School Inc: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 14
- Completion rate
- 70%
- Net price a year
- $30,451
- Private for-profit
- 1,957 students
Based on 1,957 students enrolled.
Universal Technical Institute of Arizona Inc: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 15
- Completion rate
- 63%
- Net price a year
- $27,506
- Private for-profit
- 1,701 students
Based on 1,701 students enrolled.
Universal Technical Institute-Southern California: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 16
- Completion rate
- 72%
- Net price a year
- $26,360
- Private for-profit
- 1,553 students
Based on 1,553 students enrolled.
Universal Technical Institute of California Inc: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 17
NASCAR Technical Institute NC
$53k
- Completion rate
- 65%
- Net price a year
- $28,915
- Private for-profit
- 1,345 students
Based on 1,345 students enrolled.
NASCAR Technical Institute: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 18
- Completion rate
- 17%
- Net price a year
- $7,169
- Public
- 3,837 students
Based on 3,837 students enrolled.
Massachusetts Bay Community College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 19
Moreno Valley College CA
$52k
- Completion rate
- 34%
- Net price a year
- $6,483
- Public
- 9,346 students
Based on 9,346 students enrolled.
- 20
Shoreline Community College WA
$52k
- Completion rate
- 29%
- Net price a year
- $8,585
- Public
- 3,046 students
Based on 3,046 students enrolled.
Shoreline Community College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 21
Dakota County Technical College MN
$52k
- Completion rate
- 58%
- Net price a year
- $13,548
- Public
- 2,168 students
Based on 2,168 students enrolled.
Dakota County Technical College: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 22
West Valley College CA
$52k
- Completion rate
- 51%
- Net price a year
- $3,423
- Public
- 6,416 students
Based on 6,416 students enrolled.
- 23
Diablo Valley College CA
$51k
- Completion rate
- 49%
- Net price a year
- $8,312
- Public
- 15,358 students
Based on 15,358 students enrolled.
- 24
- Completion rate
- 60%
- Net price a year
- $23,096
- Private for-profit
- 2,632 students
Based on 2,632 students enrolled.
Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc.: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
- 25
- Completion rate
- 75%
- Net price a year
- $26,265
- Private for-profit
- 1,610 students
Based on 1,610 students enrolled.
Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth: programs, pay and open jobs nearby
Full ranking
All 100 colleges that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
How this ranking works
Earnings are the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, ten years after they first enrolled, as published in the Department of Education College Scorecard. They describe past students, not a promise for future ones.
Only community and two-year colleges with at least 1,000 students and published earnings are ranked. A college's earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as what the college teaches.
Sample bar: colleges with fewer than 1,000 students enrolled are not ranked.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (median earnings, completion, net price), as held in our college tables. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which certification ranks first: community and two-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling?
- St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens leads the United States among community and two-year colleges for earnings: its former students earn a median of $104k ten years after enrolling, against $40k for the typical college in this list.
- How many colleges are ranked?
- 100 colleges have at least 1,000 students enrolled, so the list has 100 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- Earnings are the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, ten years after they first enrolled, as published in the Department of Education College Scorecard. They describe past students, not a promise for future ones. Only community and two-year colleges with at least 1,000 students and published earnings are ranked. A college's earnings reflect who enrolls and what they study as much as what the college teaches.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living
- Best cities for operations jobs
- Best cities for operations pay after cost of living
- Best cities for sales jobs
- Best cities for sales pay after cost of living
- Best cities for finance jobs
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Northeast
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in New England
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mid-Atlantic
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Southeast
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Southwest
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Midwest
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Community and two-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/two-year-colleges-with-the-highest-earnings
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/two-year-colleges-with-the-highest-earnings">Community and two-year colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
The job market, once a week
One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.
Run a workforce board, job center or economic development office, or hire in the places and industries on this list?
Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers.