ROI Major

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Cuyahoga Community College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree from Cuyahoga Community College earn a median salary of $53,735 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $59,639. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.1 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

$40,080

Typical Career

$53,735

Top Performers

$70,257

Estimated break-even: 10.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$358

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,478. Most students can comfortably afford about a $358 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 44.8%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 6.3%
Educational Services 6.2%

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

$59,639

Nominal: $53,735 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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).

10.1 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 $33,548 $46,924 $60,691
5 Years After Graduation $40,080 $53,735 $70,257
10 Years After Graduation $44,919 $60,891 $81,357

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 $53,735 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $53,735 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $59,639 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services program at Cuyahoga Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,839, which increases to $40,198 five years post-graduation and reaches $45,235 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at approximately $44,614.87, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive earning potential despite the cost of living in Ohio being lower than the national average.

The majority of graduates find employment in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 51.9% entering this field immediately after graduation. This percentage remains substantial over time, with 44.8% and 31.7% continuing in similar roles five and ten years later, respectively. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately 32.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this program appears favorable, particularly for those committed to a career in health care.

Compare with Another School

See how the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree at Cuyahoga Community College 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.