ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at Monroe Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 43.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from Monroe Community College earn a median salary of $48,969 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $37,098. The degree typically pays for itself in 12.7 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

$34,503

Typical Career

$48,969

Top Performers

$67,701

Estimated break-even: 12.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$326

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,081. Most students can comfortably afford about a $326 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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

$37,098

Nominal: $48,969 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).

12.7 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 $23,433 $31,212 $41,935
5 Years After Graduation $34,503 $48,969 $67,701
10 Years After Graduation $44,644 $61,471 $87,727

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 $48,969 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)
= $48,969 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $37,098 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Criminal Justice and Corrections program at Monroe Community College can expect a strong earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $77,219, which increases to $104,698 five years post-graduation and reaches $118,266 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $79,316.67, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living despite the higher cost of living in New York.

The top industries for graduates are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, accounting for 26.1% and 26.0%, along with Public Administration at 24.5%. This distribution suggests a robust demand for professionals in these sectors, providing a diverse range of career opportunities. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 3.3 years compared to a high-school-only path, the overall return on investment for pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections appears favorable for students considering this career path.

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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.