ROI Major

Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Rappahannock Community College

VA · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree from Rappahannock Community College earn a median salary of $34,546 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in VA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $33,703. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$26,515

Typical Career

$34,546

Top Performers

$50,402

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$230

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,879. Most students can comfortably afford about a $230 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Virginia buys what costs $1.03 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.1%
Educational Services 9.9%
Retail Trade 8.4%

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

$33,703

Nominal: $34,546 in Virginia (COL 102.5% of national avg) · 2.4% 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $24,500 $33,005 $43,216
5 Years After Graduation $26,515 $34,546 $50,402
10 Years After Graduation $25,937 $30,926 $34,596

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 $34,546 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in VA, which has a cost-of-living index of 102.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $34,546 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0250) = $33,703 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates in Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Rappahannock Community College shows a modest increase over time, with median earnings of $33,005 one year after graduation, rising to $34,546 five years later, before decreasing to $30,926 ten years post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $33,703.41, indicating that while initial earnings are competitive, long-term financial growth may be limited, especially considering the cost of living index in Virginia at 1.025 compared to the national average.

Graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with a significant concentration of 30.1%, 29.9%, and 28.5% in these fields. This suggests a strong alignment between the program and industry demand, particularly in a growing sector. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating that while there are opportunities available, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize, warranting careful consideration for prospective students.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree at Rappahannock 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.