ROI Major

Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management at Hocking Technical College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 03.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management degree from Hocking Technical College earn a median salary of $47,726 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,970. The degree typically pays for itself in 17.8 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$39,310

Typical Career

$47,726

Top Performers

$59,476

Estimated break-even: 17.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$318

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,977. Most students can comfortably afford about a $318 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 Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 36.2%
Public Administration 12.6%
Retail Trade 7.5%

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

$52,970

Nominal: $47,726 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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).

17.8 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 $22,105 $29,785 $38,967
5 Years After Graduation $39,310 $47,726 $59,476
10 Years After Graduation $40,956 $51,505 $62,198

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 $47,726 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $47,726 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $52,970 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management program at Hocking Technical College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $29,785, which rises to $47,726 after five years and reaches $51,505 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $52,970.03, indicating that graduates may experience a favorable financial position relative to the cost of living in Ohio.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 88.9% of graduates finding employment in this sector. This trend suggests a strong alignment between the program and the job market, particularly in health-related fields. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 17.8 years, indicating a significant return on investment over time for those pursuing this educational path. Overall, while the initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial benefits and job market alignment present a compelling case for prospective students.

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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.