ROI Major

Legal Support Services at Genesee Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 22.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Legal Support Services degree from Genesee Community College earn a median salary of $43,181 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $32,713. The degree typically pays for itself in 23.6 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$34,926

Typical Career

$43,181

Top Performers

$50,116

Estimated break-even: 23.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$288

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,598. Most students can comfortably afford about a $288 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 32.2%
Educational Services 12.1%
Retail Trade 7.8%

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

$32,713

Nominal: $43,181 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% 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).

23.6 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 $28,181 $36,275 $46,663
5 Years After Graduation $34,926 $43,181 $50,116
10 Years After Graduation $35,872 $47,315 $60,590

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 $43,181 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $43,181 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $32,713 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Legal Support Services program at Genesee Community College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,275, rising to $43,181 after five years and reaching $47,315 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of approximately $32,712.88, indicating that while earnings grow, the cost of living in New York may impact overall financial benefits.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 32.2% and 27.7% of placements, followed by Educational Services at 14.5%. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 23.6 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment. While the program offers a pathway into stable industries, prospective students should weigh the financial implications of the New York cost of living against their career aspirations.

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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.