ROI Major

Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technology at Iowa Central Community College

IA · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technology degree from Iowa Central Community College earn a median salary of $66,638 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $74,706. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.6 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

$52,893

Typical Career

$66,638

Top Performers

$84,259

Estimated break-even: 6.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$444

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,553. Most students can comfortably afford about a $444 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Iowa buys what costs $0.89 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 31.1%
Manufacturing 12.0%
Educational Services 9.5%

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

$74,706

Nominal: $66,638 in Iowa (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% 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).

6.6 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 $40,711 $53,317 $66,076
5 Years After Graduation $52,893 $66,638 $84,259
10 Years After Graduation $60,118 $77,790 $96,257

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 $66,638 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IA, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $66,638 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $74,706 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technology program at Iowa Central Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $53,317, increasing to $66,638 after five years, and reaching $77,790 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $74,706.28, indicating that graduates may experience a competitive income relative to national standards, particularly given Iowa's lower cost of living index.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 48.9% of graduates employed in this sector one year post-graduation, and 41.9% and 31.1% continuing in the same field after five and ten years, respectively. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 6.6 years, suggesting that the investment in education yields a favorable return over time. Overall, pursuing this program appears to provide a solid return on investment, particularly in a growing industry.

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See how the Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technology degree at Iowa Central Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.