ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Laramie County Community College

WY · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from Laramie County Community College earn a median salary of $41,782 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $44,879. The degree typically pays for itself in 17.2 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

$29,788

Typical Career

$41,782

Top Performers

$56,571

Estimated break-even: 17.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$279

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,482. Most students can comfortably afford about a $279 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Wyoming buys what costs $0.93 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 36.0%
Educational Services 12.9%
Public Administration 12.4%

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

$44,879

Nominal: $41,782 in Wyoming (COL 93.1% of national avg) · 7.4% 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).

17.2 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 $22,254 $30,819 $42,990
5 Years After Graduation $29,788 $41,782 $56,571
10 Years After Graduation $38,716 $54,629 $71,929

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 $41,782 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in WY, which has a cost-of-living index of 93.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $41,782 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9310) = $44,879 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities from Laramie County Community College experience a steady earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,819, increasing to $41,782 after five years and reaching $54,629 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $44,878.63, indicating that graduates can expect a reasonable return on their educational investment, especially considering Wyoming's cost of living index of 0.931 compared to the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter are Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 51.3% of employment, followed by a significant 36.0% in the same sector, and 26.1% in Construction. This suggests a strong alignment between the degree and job opportunities in growing fields. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 17.2 years compared to a high-school-only path, the overall return on investment for students pursuing this degree can be considered favorable, particularly in light of the stable demand in these industries.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at Laramie County Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Laramie County Community College.

Apply to Laramie County Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Laramie County 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.