ROI Major

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Kaskaskia College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from Kaskaskia College earn a median salary of $44,521 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,498. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.5 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

$35,986

Typical Career

$44,521

Top Performers

$58,363

Estimated break-even: 11.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$297

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,710. Most students can comfortably afford about a $297 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 41.5%
Educational Services 10.2%
Manufacturing 8.4%

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

$48,498

Nominal: $44,521 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

11.5 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 $26,436 $33,046 $40,227
5 Years After Graduation $35,986 $44,521 $58,363
10 Years After Graduation $47,119 $70,870 $85,664

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 $44,521 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,521 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $48,498 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at Kaskaskia College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $33,046, which increases to $44,521 five years post-graduation, and reaches $70,870 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $48,497.82, indicating that graduates can maintain a reasonable standard of living despite regional cost-of-living differences, as Illinois has a cost of living index of 0.918 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, which account for a significant percentage of employment opportunities. With approximately 49.0% of graduates entering this sector, followed closely by 48.4% and 41.5% in similar roles, it suggests a strong demand for skills in vehicle maintenance and repair within these industries. The estimated break-even point for pursuing this educational path versus a high school-only route is around 11.5 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for those who complete the program.

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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.