ROI Major

Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Northwest College

WY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.39

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree from Northwest College earn a median salary of $57,471 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $61,730. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.2 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

$41,019

Typical Career

$57,471

Top Performers

$72,585

Estimated break-even: 9.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$383

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,789. Most students can comfortably afford about a $383 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 Wyoming buys what costs $0.93 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 22.9%
Retail Trade 11.6%
Educational Services 10.7%

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

$61,730

Nominal: $57,471 in Wyoming (COL 93.1% of national avg) · 7.4% 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).

9.2 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 $30,177 $41,933 $52,232
5 Years After Graduation $41,019 $57,471 $72,585
10 Years After Graduation $51,828 $67,570 $89,527

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 $57,471 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in WY, which has a cost-of-living index of 93.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $57,471 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9310) = $61,730 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Health Professions and Related Programs at Northwest College experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $41,933, which increases to $57,471 after five years and reaches $67,570 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with the national average at $61,730.4, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country.

The primary industries for graduates include Educational Services (41.7%), Health Care & Social Assistance (23.9%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (22.9%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 9.2 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable. Graduates are likely to find stable employment opportunities in sectors that are essential to community well-being, further enhancing the value of their educational investment.

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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.