ROI Major

Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Lorain County Community College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree from Lorain County Community College earn a median salary of $39,593 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $43,943. The degree typically pays for itself in 18.7 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

$30,211

Typical Career

$39,593

Top Performers

$52,636

Estimated break-even: 18.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$264

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,299. Most students can comfortably afford about a $264 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 Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 42.7%
Manufacturing 8.1%
Educational Services 7.8%

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

$43,943

Nominal: $39,593 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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).

18.7 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 $25,278 $33,470 $41,778
5 Years After Graduation $30,211 $39,593 $52,636
10 Years After Graduation $34,513 $52,839 $63,214

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 $39,593 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $39,593 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $43,943 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services program at Lorain County Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $31,679, rising to $37,592 five years later. However, by the ten-year mark, median earnings decrease slightly to $35,626. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $41,722.53, reflecting the cost of living in Ohio, which is lower than the national average.

The program primarily prepares graduates for careers in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with a significant majority entering this field. The estimated break-even point compared to a high school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating a longer return on investment for students. While the program offers a pathway into a growing industry, potential students should weigh the extended time frame for financial benefits against their career goals and financial circumstances.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree at Lorain County 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.