ROI Major

Agricultural Business and Management at Des Moines Area Community College

IA · Associate's Degree · CIP 01.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Agricultural Business and Management degree from Des Moines Area Community College earn a median salary of $53,243 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $59,689. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.6 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

$41,995

Typical Career

$53,243

Top Performers

$66,492

Estimated break-even: 9.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$355

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,437. Most students can comfortably afford about a $355 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 Iowa buys what costs $0.89 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 24.6%
Finance & Insurance 13.9%
Retail Trade 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

$59,689

Nominal: $53,243 in Iowa (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% 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).

9.6 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 $27,078 $42,814 $53,862
5 Years After Graduation $41,995 $53,243 $66,492
10 Years After Graduation $52,872 $69,498 $89,089

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 $53,243 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IA, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $53,243 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $59,689 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Agricultural Business and Management program at Des Moines Area Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $42,063.00, which increases to $51,818.00 after five years and reaches $63,451.00 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at approximately $58,091.93, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living relative to national averages despite a lower cost of living in Iowa.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 57.2% in the first category and significant percentages in subsequent roles within the same industry. This concentration suggests a strong demand for skills acquired in the program, potentially enhancing job security and career growth. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 10.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, particularly given the upward earnings potential and industry stability.

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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.