ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Jamestown Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from Jamestown Community College earn a median salary of $70,452 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $53,373. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.4 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

$58,059

Typical Career

$70,452

Top Performers

$84,610

Estimated break-even: 5.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$470

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,871. Most students can comfortably afford about a $470 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, 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

$53,373

Nominal: $70,452 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).

5.4 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 $54,907 $64,141 $73,680
5 Years After Graduation $58,059 $70,452 $84,610
10 Years After Graduation $64,959 $79,118 $95,904

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 $70,452 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)
= $70,452 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $53,373 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Jamestown Community College's nursing programs can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $64,141, which increases to $70,452 after five years and reaches $79,118 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $53,372.73, reflecting the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while nominal earnings are strong, the real value of those earnings may be impacted by higher living costs.

The primary industries for graduates are 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 pursuing a nursing career versus a high school-only path is approximately 5.4 years, suggesting that the investment in education is likely to yield a favorable return on investment over time. Overall, the data indicates a solid career outlook for those entering the nursing field, particularly in a state with a robust healthcare sector.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Jamestown 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.