ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Northeastern Junior College

CO · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Northeastern Junior College earn a median salary of $37,394 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in CO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $35,579. The degree typically pays for itself in 64.6 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

$28,622

Typical Career

$37,394

Top Performers

$60,961

Estimated break-even: 64.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$249

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,116. Most students can comfortably afford about a $249 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Colorado buys what costs $1.05 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 17.7%
Educational Services 12.3%
Public Administration 11.4%

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

$35,579

Nominal: $37,394 in Colorado (COL 105.1% of national avg) · 4.9% 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).

64.6 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 $22,936 $30,324 $46,435
5 Years After Graduation $28,622 $37,394 $60,961
10 Years After Graduation $32,883 $41,964 $62,818

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 $37,394 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in CO, which has a cost-of-living index of 105.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $37,394 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0510) = $35,579 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at Northeastern Junior College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,324, rising to $37,394 five years post-graduation, and reaching $41,964 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary equates to approximately $35,579.45, reflecting the cost of living in Colorado, which has a COL index of 1.051 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries that graduates typically enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 43.3% of placements, followed by Public Administration at 19.0%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 64.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree may be considered modest. Students should weigh the potential earnings against the time and financial commitment required for the degree.

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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.