ROI Major

Computer Science at Monroe Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 11.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Computer Science degree from Monroe Community College earn a median salary of $73,904 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $55,988. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.2 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

$51,223

Typical Career

$73,904

Top Performers

$90,933

Estimated break-even: 7.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$493

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,159. Most students can comfortably afford about a $493 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 26.0%
Educational Services 10.8%
Retail Trade 9.8%

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

$55,988

Nominal: $73,904 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% 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).

7.2 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 $20,925 $30,523 $49,171
5 Years After Graduation $51,223 $73,904 $90,933
10 Years After Graduation $60,590 $90,582 $120,591

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 $73,904 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $73,904 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $55,988 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Computer Science program at Monroe Community College can expect a significant increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,523, which rises to $73,904 five years post-graduation and reaches $90,582 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $55,987.88, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook is promising, especially considering the cost of living in New York.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.1% of placements, followed closely by Public Administration at 24.5%. This suggests a strong demand for computer science skills in sectors that are essential to societal infrastructure. With an estimated break-even point of about 7.2 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Computer Science at Monroe Community College appears favorable, particularly given the growing need for technology professionals in these critical fields.

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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.