ROI Major

Mathematics at CUNY York College

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from CUNY York College earn a median salary of $65,353 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,510. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.8 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$44,060

Typical Career

$65,353

Top Performers

$84,460

Estimated break-even: 7.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$436

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,446. Most students can comfortably afford about a $436 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 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 Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 36.8%
Educational Services 13.8%
Public Administration 10.2%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$49,510

Nominal: $65,353 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).

7.8 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 $25,227 $36,936 $55,228
5 Years After Graduation $44,060 $65,353 $84,460
10 Years After Graduation $57,791 $84,400 $121,393

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 $65,353 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)
= $65,353 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $49,510 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from CUNY York College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,936, which increases to $65,353 five years post-graduation and reaches $84,400 after ten years. When considering purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation, adjusted for national equivalents, are approximately $49,509.85, reflecting the impact of the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for Mathematics graduates from CUNY York College include Health Care & Social Assistance (36.8%), Educational Services (13.8%), and Public Administration (10.2%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 7.8 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a Mathematics degree appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect to recoup their educational expenses within a reasonable timeframe while entering sectors that are essential and growing in the economy.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Mathematics degree at CUNY York College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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