ROI Major

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services at Monroe Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 19.05

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services degree from Monroe Community College earn a median salary of $41,244 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $31,245. The degree typically pays for itself in 68.2 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

$28,276

Typical Career

$41,244

Top Performers

$56,877

Estimated break-even: 68.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$275

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,437. Most students can comfortably afford about a $275 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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

$31,245

Nominal: $41,244 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).

68.2 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 $24,348 $36,412 $54,051
5 Years After Graduation $28,276 $41,244 $56,877
10 Years After Graduation $30,570 $41,244 $51,851

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 $41,244 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)
= $41,244 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $31,245 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services program at Monroe Community College can expect a median earning of $36,412 one year after graduation, which increases slightly to $41,244 five years post-graduation. However, it is noteworthy that this earning level remains unchanged after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $31,245.45 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may seem promising, the long-term financial growth may be limited, especially in relation to the cost of living in New York.

The primary industries that graduates enter are Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.1% of placements, followed closely by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 26.0%, and Public Administration at 24.5%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 68.2 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this program may be considered low. Students should weigh these factors carefully against their career aspirations and financial goals when considering this educational 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.