Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Coastal Bend College
TX · Certificate Degree · CIP 47.06
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from Coastal Bend College earn a median salary of $40,729 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $44,223. The degree typically pays for itself in 13.7 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
$30,437
Typical Career
$40,729
Top Performers
$57,301
Estimated break-even: 13.7 years.
Debt-to-Income Check
$272
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,394. Most students can comfortably afford about a $272 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 Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.
Industry Breadcrumbs
Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Construction, Manufacturing.
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
$44,223
Nominal: $40,729 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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 | $25,504 | $33,458 | $46,924 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $30,437 | $40,729 | $57,301 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $37,592 | $62,818 | $93,187 |
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 $40,729 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.
Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $40,729 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210)
= $44,223 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The program's graduates primarily enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 36.5% and 31.9% of graduates finding opportunities in these fields, alongside 16.5% in Educational Services. The estimated break-even point for this educational path versus a high school-only route is approximately 13.7 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the long-term return on investment appears favorable, particularly given the strong demand in the top industries.
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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.