ROI Major

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Emily Griffith Technical College

CO · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from Emily Griffith Technical College earn a median salary of $48,276 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in CO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $45,933. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.9 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

$32,677

Typical Career

$48,276

Top Performers

$69,154

Estimated break-even: 11.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$322

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,023. Most students can comfortably afford about a $322 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 Colorado buys what costs $1.05 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Construction 33.2%
Health Care & Social Assistance 17.5%
Retail Trade 5.5%

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

$45,933

Nominal: $48,276 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).

11.9 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 $25,368 $34,513 $46,555
5 Years After Graduation $32,677 $48,276 $69,154
10 Years After Graduation $47,119 $64,085 $104,398

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 $48,276 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)
= $48,276 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0510) = $45,933 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at Emily Griffith Technical College can expect a promising earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,513, increasing to $48,276 after five years, and reaching $64,085 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $45,933.4, indicating that while the cost of living in Colorado is slightly higher than the national average (COL index of 1.051), graduates can still expect a competitive income relative to their peers across the country.

The program's graduates predominantly enter industries such as Construction (44.9% and 33.2%) and Health Care & Social Assistance (20.2%). This diverse industry entry suggests a robust demand for skilled technicians in various sectors. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 11.9 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for students pursuing this program appears favorable, particularly as earnings increase significantly over time.

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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.