ROI Major

Business/Commerce, General at Collin County Community College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business/Commerce, General degree from Collin County Community College District earn a median salary of $65,929 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $71,584. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.5 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

$49,561

Typical Career

$65,929

Top Performers

$84,994

Estimated break-even: 7.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$440

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,494. Most students can comfortably afford about a $440 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Educational Services, Finance & Insurance.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 22.8%
Educational Services 12.6%
Finance & Insurance 9.6%

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

$71,584

Nominal: $65,929 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).

7.5 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 $26,189 $39,807 $59,134
5 Years After Graduation $49,561 $65,929 $84,994
10 Years After Graduation $61,827 $85,364 $117,996

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 $65,929 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)
= $65,929 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $71,584 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business/Commerce, General program at Collin County Community College District can expect a significant increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $39,807, rising to $65,929 five years later, and reaching $85,364 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $71,584.15 nationally, indicating that graduates are likely to maintain competitive earnings relative to the national average despite the lower cost of living in Texas.

The program prepares students for diverse career paths, with top industries including Public Administration (24.5%), Health Care & Social Assistance (22.8%), and Educational Services (12.6%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.5 years, suggesting that graduates can expect a favorable return on investment over time. Overall, pursuing a degree in Business/Commerce, General appears to offer a solid financial trajectory and access to stable employment sectors.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business/Commerce, General degree at Collin County Community College District 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.