ROI Major

Legal Support Services at Kilgore College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 22.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Legal Support Services degree from Kilgore College earn a median salary of $37,075 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $40,255. The degree typically pays for itself in 25.8 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

$27,843

Typical Career

$37,075

Top Performers

$51,424

Estimated break-even: 25.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$247

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,090. Most students can comfortably afford about a $247 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 Texas 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 37.0%
Educational Services 12.2%
Manufacturing 7.9%

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

$40,255

Nominal: $37,075 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

25.8 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 $23,020 $31,171 $44,230
5 Years After Graduation $27,843 $37,075 $51,424
10 Years After Graduation $32,027 $48,487 $68,626

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 $37,075 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $37,075 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $40,255 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Legal Support Services program at Kilgore College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $27,311, which rises to $36,063 after five years and reaches $43,588 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $39,156.35, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real terms over time, particularly considering Texas's lower cost of living index.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 46.8% of placements, followed by Public Administration at 30.0%. The estimated break-even point for this educational path compared to a high school-only route is approximately 47.9 years, suggesting that while the program may offer valuable skills and opportunities, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. Students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their career trajectory in legal support services.

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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.