ROI Major

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at Monroe Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree from Monroe Community College earn a median salary of $61,867 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,869. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.5 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

$48,487

Typical Career

$61,867

Top Performers

$74,007

Estimated break-even: 7.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$412

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,156. Most students can comfortably afford about a $412 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

$46,869

Nominal: $61,867 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).

7.5 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 $44,025 $55,194 $67,042
5 Years After Graduation $48,487 $61,867 $74,007
10 Years After Graduation $45,912 $59,738 $73,245

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 $61,867 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)
= $61,867 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $46,869 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions program at Monroe Community College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $39,066.00, rising to $45,684.00 five years later, and reaching $47,856.00 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary is equivalent to $34,609.09 nationally, indicating that graduates may face a cost-of-living challenge in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.1% and 26.0% of placements, and Public Administration at 24.5%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 20.6 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment. While the career path offers stable employment opportunities, prospective students should weigh the time and financial commitment against the potential earnings and industry growth.

Compare with Another School

See how the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree at Monroe Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.