ROI Major

Electrical and Power Transmission Installers at South Plains College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 46.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Electrical and Power Transmission Installers degree from South Plains College earn a median salary of $87,772 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $95,301. The degree typically pays for itself in 5 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$55,699

Typical Career

$87,772

Top Performers

$108,603

Estimated break-even: 5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$585

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,314. Most students can comfortably afford about a $585 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.1x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 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 28.1%
Educational Services 17.1%
Retail Trade 8.1%

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

$95,301

Nominal: $87,772 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

5 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 $35,823 $51,994 $70,012
5 Years After Graduation $55,699 $87,772 $108,603
10 Years After Graduation $55,464 $75,586 $135,824

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 $87,772 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $87,772 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $95,301 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 of the Electrical and Power Transmission Installers program at South Plains College shows significant growth over time. One year post-graduation, median earnings are reported at $52,989.00, which increases to $86,981.00 after five years and reaches $96,791.00 a decade later. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $94,441.91, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive income relative to national standards, particularly given Texas's cost of living index of 0.921.

Graduates primarily enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which comprises 69.7% of employment, followed by Educational Services at 17.1%. The estimated break-even point for this career path versus a high-school-only trajectory is approximately five years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for those pursuing this program. Overall, the combination of strong earnings potential and industry demand supports a positive outlook for students considering this field at South Plains College.

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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.