ROI Major

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at Colorado Northwestern Community College

CO · Associate's Degree · CIP 12.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree from Colorado Northwestern Community College earn a median salary of $27,237 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in CO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $25,915. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$19,862

Typical Career

$27,237

Top Performers

$36,560

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$182

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,270. Most students can comfortably afford about a $182 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Colorado buys what costs $1.05 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Retail Trade 14.8%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.4%
Other Services 7.9%

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

$25,915

Nominal: $27,237 in Colorado (COL 105.1% of national avg) · 4.9% 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $17,644 $22,780 $29,179
5 Years After Graduation $19,862 $27,237 $36,560
10 Years After Graduation $26,082 $35,528 $47,119

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 $27,237 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in CO, which has a cost-of-living index of 105.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $27,237 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0510) = $25,915 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services program at Colorado Northwestern Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $22,780, rising to $27,237 five years post-graduation, and reaching $35,528 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $25,915.32 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real income over time.

The primary industries where graduates find employment include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 42.8% of placements, followed by another segment in the same field at 27.1%, and Retail Trade at 14.8%. However, it is important to note that the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, suggesting that while there are opportunities for career advancement, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. This factor should be carefully considered by prospective students when evaluating their career options.

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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.