ROI Major

Information Science/Studies at Hudson Valley Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 11.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Information Science/Studies degree from Hudson Valley Community College earn a median salary of $69,931 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,978. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.8 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$51,576

Typical Career

$69,931

Top Performers

$87,772

Estimated break-even: 6.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$466

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,828. Most students can comfortably afford about a $466 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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

$52,978

Nominal: $69,931 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).

6.8 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 $26,764 $43,858 $65,445
5 Years After Graduation $51,576 $69,931 $87,772
10 Years After Graduation $66,197 $87,430 $107,201

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 $69,931 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)
= $69,931 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $52,978 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Information Science/Studies program at Hudson Valley Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $43,858, which increases significantly to $69,931 five years later, and reaches $87,430 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted five-year salary is approximately $52,978.03, indicating that while earnings grow, the purchasing power may be somewhat constrained by the higher cost of living.

The program prepares graduates for careers primarily in Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 37.8% of employment, followed by Public Administration at 19.6%. The estimated break-even point for choosing this educational path over a high school-only route is approximately 6.8 years, suggesting that the investment in education can yield a favorable return in the long term. Overall, the combination of strong earnings potential and diverse employment opportunities in key industries supports a positive return on investment for students entering this field.

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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.