ROI Major

Construction Engineering Technology at Monroe Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.10

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Construction Engineering Technology degree from Monroe Community College earn a median salary of $61,332 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,464. The degree typically pays for itself in 8 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

$44,315

Typical Career

$61,332

Top Performers

$77,548

Estimated break-even: 8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$409

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,111. Most students can comfortably afford about a $409 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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

$46,464

Nominal: $61,332 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).

8 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 $28,969 $43,047 $58,858
5 Years After Graduation $44,315 $61,332 $77,548
10 Years After Graduation $55,111 $77,430 $102,062

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 $61,332 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)
= $61,332 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $46,464 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Construction Engineering Technology program at Monroe Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $43,047.00, increasing to $61,332.00 after five years and reaching $77,430.00 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary after five years is approximately $46,463.64, indicating that while earnings grow, the local cost of living may impact overall purchasing power.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.1% and 26.0% of placements, followed by Public Administration at 24.5%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately eight years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this educational path. Overall, the program offers a solid career foundation with a favorable long-term financial outlook, particularly for those entering high-demand sectors.

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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.