ROI Major

Accounting and Related Services at Minneapolis Community and Technical College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Accounting and Related Services degree from Minneapolis Community and Technical College earn a median salary of $52,008 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $55,269. The degree typically pays for itself in 14 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

$33,791

Typical Career

$52,008

Top Performers

$61,332

Estimated break-even: 14 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$347

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,334. Most students can comfortably afford about a $347 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 31.6%
Public Administration 8.8%
Retail Trade 7.3%

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

$55,269

Nominal: $52,008 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

14 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 $28,071 $39,774 $55,817
5 Years After Graduation $33,791 $52,008 $61,332
10 Years After Graduation $29,704 $52,165 $71,728

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 $52,008 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $52,008 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $55,269 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Accounting and Related Services program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $39,774, increasing to $52,008 five years later. However, by the ten-year mark, earnings plateau slightly at $52,165. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $55,268.86, indicating that graduates may experience a favorable economic environment in Minnesota compared to other states.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 57.2% of them finding employment in this industry. This trend continues with substantial representation in related fields, suggesting a strong demand for accounting professionals within health care. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 14 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears reasonable, particularly given the stability and growth potential within the health care sector.

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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.