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Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Suffolk County Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.39

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree from Suffolk County Community College earn a median salary of $64,628 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,961. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.1 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

$45,961

Typical Career

$64,628

Top Performers

$79,787

Estimated break-even: 7.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$431

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,386. Most students can comfortably afford about a $431 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 24.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 13.6%
Public Administration 7.9%

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

$48,961

Nominal: $64,628 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).

7.1 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 $39,089 $51,299 $64,798
5 Years After Graduation $45,961 $64,628 $79,787
10 Years After Graduation $53,767 $71,728 $86,717

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 $64,628 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)
= $64,628 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $48,961 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Health Professions and Related Programs at Suffolk County Community College experience a positive earnings trajectory, with median earnings of $51,299 one year post-graduation, increasing to $64,628 after five years, and reaching $71,728 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally stands at $48,960.61, indicating that graduates in New York may face higher living costs relative to their earnings, given the state's cost of living index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 27.2% and 24.2% of employment, followed by Professional, Scientific & Technical Services at 13.6%. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 7.1 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable, particularly in a state with a robust demand for health-related professions.

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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.