ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods at Linn-Benton Community College

OR · Associate's Degree · CIP 13.12

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree from Linn-Benton Community College earn a median salary of $31,578 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OR, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $27,627. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$24,926

Typical Career

$31,578

Top Performers

$40,342

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$211

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,632. Most students can comfortably afford about a $211 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Oregon buys what costs $1.14 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 31.4%
Manufacturing 10.7%
Retail Trade 8.0%

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

$27,627

Nominal: $31,578 in Oregon (COL 114.3% of national avg) · 12.5% 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $20,776 $26,977 $36,009
5 Years After Graduation $24,926 $31,578 $40,342
10 Years After Graduation $29,458 $38,279 $54,757

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 $31,578 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OR, which has a cost-of-living index of 114.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $31,578 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1430) = $27,627 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates of the Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods program at Linn-Benton Community College shows a gradual increase over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $26,977, rising to $31,578 after five years and reaching $38,279 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $27,627.3, indicating that while earnings increase, the relative value may not keep pace with inflation or cost of living increases, particularly in Oregon where the cost of living index is 1.143 compared to the national average of 1.0.

Graduates primarily enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with a significant 31.4% of them employed in this field. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program and the needs of the industry. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path extends beyond ten years, indicating that the return on investment for this educational path may take considerable time to materialize. Prospective students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their long-term career and financial goals.

Compare with Another School

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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.