ROI Major

CIP Family 32 — CIP 32.01 at Chemeketa Community College

OR · Associate's Degree · CIP 32.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a CIP Family 32 — CIP 32.01 degree from Chemeketa Community College earn a median salary of $40,342 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OR, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $35,295. The degree typically pays for itself in 27.9 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

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

$30,129

Typical Career

$40,342

Top Performers

$52,778

Estimated break-even: 27.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$269

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,362. Most students can comfortably afford about a $269 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Oregon buys what costs $1.14 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 50.8%
Public Administration 10.2%
Educational Services 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

$35,295

Nominal: $40,342 in Oregon (COL 114.3% of national avg) · 12.5% 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).

27.9 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 $25,014 $32,393 $42,371
5 Years After Graduation $30,129 $40,342 $52,778
10 Years After Graduation $38,279 $46,663 $58,093

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 $40,342 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OR, which has a cost-of-living index of 114.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $40,342 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1430) = $35,295 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from CIP Family 32 — CIP 32.01 at Chemeketa Community College experience a steady earnings trajectory, with median earnings of $32,393 one year post-graduation, increasing to $40,342 after five years, and reaching $46,663 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $35,294.84, indicating that while the nominal earnings grow, the cost of living in Oregon (COL index: 1.143) slightly impacts the overall financial benefit compared to national averages.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 50.8%, 25.6%, and 22.7% of graduates entering this field. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 27.9 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this program is relatively long-term. Students should weigh the potential for stable employment in a growing sector against the time required to recoup educational costs.

Compare with Another School

See how the CIP Family 32 — CIP 32.01 degree at Chemeketa Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.