ROI Major

Public Health at CUNY Bronx Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.22

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Public Health degree from CUNY Bronx Community College earn a median salary of $50,311 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $38,114. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.2 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

$35,419

Typical Career

$50,311

Top Performers

$68,745

Estimated break-even: 11.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$335

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,193. Most students can comfortably afford about a $335 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 35.6%
Educational Services 12.4%
Public Administration 9.1%

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

$38,114

Nominal: $50,311 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% 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).

11.2 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 $27,214 $38,907 $56,996
5 Years After Graduation $35,419 $50,311 $68,745
10 Years After Graduation $45,865 $63,180 $83,791

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 $50,311 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $50,311 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $38,114 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates in Public Health at CUNY Bronx Community College shows a steady increase over time. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $38,907, rising to $50,311 after five years and reaching $63,180 by the ten-year mark. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $38,114.39, indicating that graduates may face a cost-of-living challenge in New York, where the cost of living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

Graduates primarily enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which comprises 35.6% of employment, followed by another 23.0% in the same sector, and 17.3% in Retail Trade. The estimated break-even point for those pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 11.2 years, suggesting that while there is a positive return on investment over time, the initial years may not yield significant financial advantages. Overall, students should weigh the long-term benefits against the immediate costs and local economic conditions.

Compare with Another School

See how the Public Health degree at CUNY Bronx Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Public Health at CUNY Bronx Community College.

Apply to CUNY Bronx Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at CUNY Bronx Community College

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.