ROI Major

Health and Medical Administrative Services at Onondaga Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Medical Administrative Services degree from Onondaga Community College earn a median salary of $51,994 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $39,389. 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

$40,950

Typical Career

$51,994

Top Performers

$65,590

Estimated break-even: 9.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$347

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,333. Most students can comfortably afford about a $347 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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, Retail Trade, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 21.5%
Retail Trade 10.7%
Educational Services 9.3%

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

$39,389

Nominal: $51,994 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).

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 $33,040 $43,704 $57,663
5 Years After Graduation $40,950 $51,994 $65,590
10 Years After Graduation $46,571 $68,203 $85,313

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 $51,994 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)
= $51,994 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $39,389 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Health and Medical Administrative Services program at Onondaga Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $43,704, increasing to $51,994 five years later, and reaching $68,203 after ten years. However, when considering the cost of living in New York, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary five years post-graduation is approximately $39,389.39, indicating that while nominal earnings are increasing, the real value of those earnings may be impacted by higher living costs in the state.

The program prepares students for careers primarily in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 28.9% of graduates, as well as in Public Administration. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 9.8 years, suggesting that while the investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term benefits in terms of salary and job opportunities in these growing industries can be substantial. Overall, the return on investment appears favorable for those committed to a career in health administration.

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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.