ROI Major

Health and Medical Administrative Services at Southwestern Illinois College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Medical Administrative Services degree from Southwestern Illinois College earn a median salary of $47,444 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $51,682. The degree typically pays for itself in 16.1 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

$36,004

Typical Career

$47,444

Top Performers

$57,001

Estimated break-even: 16.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$316

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,954. Most students can comfortably afford about a $316 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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, Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 28.3%
Educational Services 9.6%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.9%

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

$51,682

Nominal: $47,444 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).

16.1 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 $32,115 $40,045 $48,736
5 Years After Graduation $36,004 $47,444 $57,001
10 Years After Graduation $40,342 $51,223 $65,534

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 $47,444 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)
= $47,444 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $51,682 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 Southwestern Illinois College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $25,594, which rises to $30,472 after five years and reaches $34,333 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $33,193.90, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real income over time, particularly in comparison to inflation and cost of living adjustments.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 28.3% of placements, followed closely by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 26.0%, and Construction at 21.5%. Given the estimated break-even point of more than ten years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this program may be considered moderate. While the health care sector offers stable employment opportunities, prospective students should weigh the time required to recoup educational expenses against their long-term career goals.

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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.