ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at North Iowa Area Community College

IA · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from North Iowa Area Community College earn a median salary of $44,434 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,814. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.9 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

$32,319

Typical Career

$44,434

Top Performers

$56,902

Estimated break-even: 15.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$296

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,703. Most students can comfortably afford about a $296 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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

$49,814

Nominal: $44,434 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).

15.9 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 $19,452 $26,852 $37,832
5 Years After Graduation $32,319 $44,434 $56,902
10 Years After Graduation $42,923 $56,823 $74,502

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 $44,434 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)
= $44,434 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $49,814 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at North Iowa Area Community College can expect a median earning of $34,840 one year after graduation, which increases to $43,047 after five years. However, by the ten-year mark, median earnings drop to $33,861, indicating a potential plateau in salary growth. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $48,258.97, suggesting that while initial earnings may be modest, the relative value of these earnings is somewhat favorable compared to national averages.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, with 56.4% of graduates finding employment in this sector within one year. This trend continues with 47.6% and 27.0% of graduates remaining in the same field five and ten years post-graduation, respectively. Given the estimated break-even point of more than ten years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree may be limited in the short term. Students should weigh these factors carefully against their career aspirations and financial goals.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 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.