Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 51.06
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College earn a median salary of $35,859 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $39,062. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 years.
Quick Insights
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
$27,950
Typical Career
$35,859
Top Performers
$43,240
Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.
Debt-to-Income Check
$239
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,988. Most students can comfortably afford about a $239 monthly loan payment with this degree.
Comparison Bench
This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.
Purchasing Power Context
A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.
Industry Breadcrumbs
Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration, Retail Trade.
Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work
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
$39,062
Nominal: $35,859 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% higher 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).
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 | $22,698 | $30,057 | $36,412 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $27,950 | $35,859 | $43,240 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $29,116 | $33,960 | $49,247 |
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 $35,859 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.
Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $35,859 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180)
= $39,062 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The majority of graduates find employment in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 59.8% entering this field immediately after graduation. This percentage remains significant over time, with 38.7% and 30.1% continuing in similar roles. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, suggesting that while the program offers a pathway into a stable industry, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. Overall, prospective students should weigh the long-term financial implications against the immediate benefits of entering the workforce in a growing field.
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See how the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright 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.