ROI Major

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration at Sauk Valley Community College

IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 47.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration degree from Sauk Valley Community College earn a median salary of $50,791 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $55,328. 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

$38,164

Typical Career

$50,791

Top Performers

$69,023

Estimated break-even: 9.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$339

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,233. Most students can comfortably afford about a $339 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 Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.1%
Manufacturing 19.1%
Retail Trade 8.5%

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

$55,328

Nominal: $50,791 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

9.8 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 $26,197 $42,146 $58,734
5 Years After Graduation $38,164 $50,791 $69,023
10 Years After Graduation $53,485 $72,322 $89,177

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 $50,791 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $50,791 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $55,328 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, and Refrigeration program at Sauk Valley Community College can expect a solid earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $42,146, increasing to $50,791 five years post-graduation, and reaching $72,322 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $55,327.89 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market over time, particularly in light of the cost of living index in Illinois.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 45.3% of them working in this field. This concentration suggests a stable demand for HVACR professionals within industries that are essential and likely to grow. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 9.8 years, indicating a favorable return on investment for those pursuing this career path. Overall, the data suggests that a degree in HVACR from Sauk Valley Community College offers a promising financial outlook and career stability.

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See how the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration degree at Sauk Valley 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.