ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at Lorain County Community College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 43.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from Lorain County Community College earn a median salary of $52,601 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $58,381. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.9 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

$38,300

Typical Career

$52,601

Top Performers

$73,442

Estimated break-even: 10.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$351

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,383. Most students can comfortably afford about a $351 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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

$58,381

Nominal: $52,601 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).

10.9 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 $25,559 $35,800 $54,500
5 Years After Graduation $38,300 $52,601 $73,442
10 Years After Graduation $43,845 $64,608 $87,113

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 $52,601 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)
= $52,601 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $58,381 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Criminal Justice and Corrections from Lorain County Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $35,800, increasing to $52,601 after five years, and reaching $64,608 a decade post-graduation. Adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $58,380.69, indicating that the degree offers competitive compensation relative to national standards, particularly in Ohio, where the cost of living index is lower at 0.901 compared to the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 66.1% of graduates finding employment in this sector. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program and the demands of the job market. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 10.9 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment over time. Overall, pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections appears to offer a solid career path with favorable long-term financial benefits.

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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.