ROI Major

Industrial Production Technologies at Brightpoint Community College

VA · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Industrial Production Technologies degree from Brightpoint Community College earn a median salary of $74,301 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in VA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $72,489. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.4 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$52,636

Typical Career

$74,301

Top Performers

$117,385

Estimated break-even: 5.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$495

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,192. Most students can comfortably afford about a $495 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Virginia buys what costs $1.03 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 33.7%
Educational Services 8.2%
Retail Trade 7.3%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$72,489

Nominal: $74,301 in Virginia (COL 102.5% of national avg) · 2.4% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

5.4 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $42,548 $58,363 $91,460
5 Years After Graduation $52,636 $74,301 $117,385
10 Years After Graduation $72,014 $127,993 $148,535

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $74,301 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in VA, which has a cost-of-living index of 102.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $74,301 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0250) = $72,489 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Industrial Production Technologies program at Brightpoint Community College can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $58,363, which increases significantly to $74,301 after five years and reaches $127,993 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $72,488.78, indicating that graduates' earnings hold strong value in the current economic landscape, despite the cost of living index in Virginia being slightly higher than the national average.

The top industries for graduates reveal a strong focus on Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 43.7% of employment, followed by another segment within the same field at 33.7%, and Manufacturing at 17.5%. This distribution suggests a robust demand for skills in both health-related sectors and manufacturing. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 5.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, supporting the decision for students considering this career path.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.