ROI Major

Mathematics at Fayetteville State University

NC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from Fayetteville State University earn a median salary of $51,851 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $53,017. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.8 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$38,814

Typical Career

$51,851

Top Performers

$74,301

Estimated break-even: 10.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$346

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,321. Most students can comfortably afford about a $346 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in North Carolina buys what costs $0.98 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 26.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 24.1%
Public Administration 13.6%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$53,017

Nominal: $51,851 in North Carolina (COL 97.8% of national avg) · 2.2% 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).

10.8 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 $29,581 $40,550 $53,167
5 Years After Graduation $38,814 $51,851 $74,301
10 Years After Graduation $40,342 $62,818 $87,772

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 $51,851 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NC, which has a cost-of-living index of 97.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $51,851 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9780) = $53,017 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from Fayetteville State University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,550, which increases to $51,851 after five years and reaches $62,818 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national average at approximately $53,017.38, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living in North Carolina, where the cost of living index is slightly lower than the national average.

The top industries for Mathematics graduates include Educational Services (26.0%), Health Care & Social Assistance (24.1%), and Public Administration (13.6%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 10.8 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a Mathematics degree appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect to recover their educational costs and benefit from higher lifetime earnings, particularly in sectors that value analytical and quantitative skills.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Mathematics degree at Fayetteville State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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