ROI Major

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at North Iowa Area Community College

IA · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree from North Iowa Area Community College earn a median salary of $56,743 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $63,613. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.8 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

$45,837

Typical Career

$56,743

Top Performers

$67,570

Estimated break-even: 9.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$378

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,729. Most students can comfortably afford about a $378 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Iowa buys what costs $0.89 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.0%
Manufacturing 12.6%
Educational Services 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

$63,613

Nominal: $56,743 in Iowa (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% higher 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).

9.8 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 $38,907 $47,802 $55,563
5 Years After Graduation $45,837 $56,743 $67,570
10 Years After Graduation $48,487 $57,471 $70,527

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 $56,743 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IA, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,743 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $63,613 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services program at North Iowa Area Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,638, rising to $34,720 after five years, and reaching $40,578 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $38,923.77, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real income over the years.

The majority of graduates find employment in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 56.4% entering this field immediately after graduation. This trend continues, as 47.6% and 27.0% of graduates remain in the same industry over time. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 115.6 years, suggesting that while the program can lead to stable employment, the return on investment may be limited in the short term. Overall, students should weigh the long-term benefits against the time and financial commitment required for this career path.

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See how the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree at North Iowa Area 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.