ROI Major

Mathematics at Fort Lewis College

CO · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from Fort Lewis College earn a median salary of $54,679 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in CO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,026. 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$35,012

Typical Career

$54,679

Top Performers

$72,156

Estimated break-even: 9.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$365

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,557. Most students can comfortably afford about a $365 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 Colorado buys what costs $1.05 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 16.8%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.3%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.5%

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

$52,026

Nominal: $54,679 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).

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 $24,401 $33,128 $47,802
5 Years After Graduation $35,012 $54,679 $72,156
10 Years After Graduation $44,849 $76,015 $132,347

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 $54,679 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)
= $54,679 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0510) = $52,026 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 Fort Lewis College experience a significant earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $33,128, which increases to $54,679 after five years and reaches $76,015 a decade later. When adjusting for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $52,025.69, reflecting the cost of living in Colorado, which has a COL index of 1.051 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while initial earnings may be lower than the national average, the long-term growth potential remains strong.

The top industries for Mathematics graduates include Educational Services (16.8%), Health Care & Social Assistance (14.3%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (9.5%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 9.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a Mathematics degree is favorable. Graduates can expect to enter diverse fields with solid earning potential, making this degree a viable option for students considering their future career paths.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Mathematics degree at Fort Lewis College 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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