ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at El Paso Community College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from El Paso Community College earn a median salary of $47,460 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $51,531. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.9 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

$37,297

Typical Career

$47,460

Top Performers

$64,996

Estimated break-even: 15.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$316

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,955. Most students can comfortably afford about a $316 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 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 25.3%
Educational Services 21.2%
Public Administration 8.1%

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

$51,531

Nominal: $47,460 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

15.9 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 $26,843 $38,450 $60,961
5 Years After Graduation $37,297 $47,460 $64,996
10 Years After Graduation $40,342 $51,929 $69,154

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 $47,460 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $47,460 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $51,531 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at El Paso Community College experience a steady earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $38,450, increasing to $47,460 five years later, and reaching $51,929 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at approximately $51,530.94, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to national standards despite the lower cost of living in Texas.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 65.2% entering this sector. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program and the job market, particularly in a growing field. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 15.9 years, indicating a long-term return on investment. Overall, pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management at El Paso Community College appears to offer a viable pathway to stable employment and income growth within key industries.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at El Paso Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Business Administration and Management at El Paso Community College.

Apply to El Paso Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at El Paso 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.