ROI Major

Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services at Emily Griffith Technical College

CO · Certificate Degree · CIP 46.05

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services degree from Emily Griffith Technical College earn a median salary of $85,788 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in CO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $81,625. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.6 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$65,144

Typical Career

$85,788

Top Performers

$101,639

Estimated break-even: 4.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$572

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,149. Most students can comfortably afford about a $572 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.1x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Colorado buys what costs $1.05 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Construction, Health Care & Social Assistance, Accommodation & Food Services.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Construction 44.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance 20.2%
Accommodation & Food Services 4.6%

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

$81,625

Nominal: $85,788 in Colorado (COL 105.1% of national avg) · 4.9% 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).

4.6 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 $48,420 $62,239 $88,065
5 Years After Graduation $65,144 $85,788 $101,639
10 Years After Graduation

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 $85,788 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in CO, which has a cost-of-living index of 105.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $85,788 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0510) = $81,625 National Average equivalent.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services degree at Emily Griffith Technical College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services at Emily Griffith Technical College.

Apply to Emily Griffith Technical College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Emily Griffith Technical 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.