ROI Major

Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Jamestown Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 31.05

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Physical Education/Fitness degree from Jamestown Community College earn a median salary of $40,037 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $30,331. The degree typically pays for itself in 17.4 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

$29,214

Typical Career

$40,037

Top Performers

$52,283

Estimated break-even: 17.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$267

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,336. Most students can comfortably afford about a $267 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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, Retail Trade, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 32.1%
Retail Trade 10.0%
Educational Services 9.7%

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

$30,331

Nominal: $40,037 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).

17.4 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 $20,121 $26,134 $35,115
5 Years After Graduation $29,214 $40,037 $52,283
10 Years After Graduation $43,047 $56,170 $63,723

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 $40,037 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)
= $40,037 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $30,331 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Health and Physical Education/Fitness program at Jamestown Community College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $26,134, which rises to $40,037 after five years and reaches $56,170 a decade post-graduation. 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 $30,331.06, indicating that while earnings grow, the purchasing power may be impacted by higher living costs.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 32.1% of employment, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 16.8%, and Public Administration at 15.9%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 17.4 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment. While the program offers a pathway into stable industries, prospective students should weigh the time required to recoup educational costs against their career aspirations and financial goals.

Compare with Another School

See how the Health and Physical Education/Fitness degree at Jamestown Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Jamestown Community College.

Apply to Jamestown Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Jamestown 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.