ROI Major

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration at Hudson Valley Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration degree from Hudson Valley Community College earn a median salary of $63,406 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,035. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.3 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

$48,158

Typical Career

$63,406

Top Performers

$80,729

Estimated break-even: 7.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$423

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,284. Most students can comfortably afford about a $423 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Public Administration, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 22.9%
Public Administration 11.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.7%

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

$48,035

Nominal: $63,406 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).

7.3 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 $37,285 $48,339 $59,560
5 Years After Graduation $48,158 $63,406 $80,729
10 Years After Graduation $64,902 $80,572 $102,936

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 $63,406 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)
= $63,406 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $48,035 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, and Refrigeration program at Hudson Valley Community College experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $48,339, increasing to $63,406 after five years and reaching $80,572 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at approximately $48,034.85, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive salary relative to the national average, despite the higher cost of living in New York.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 37.8% of employment, followed by 22.9% in the same industry and 19.6% in Public Administration. The estimated break-even point for pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 7.3 years, suggesting that the investment in education yields a favorable return over time. Overall, the combination of solid earnings potential and industry demand supports a positive return on investment for students considering this career path.

Compare with Another School

See how the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration degree at Hudson Valley Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration at Hudson Valley Community College.

Apply to Hudson Valley Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Hudson Valley Community College

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.