ROI Major

Mathematics at SUNY College at Purchase

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from SUNY College at Purchase earn a median salary of $79,787 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $60,445. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.7 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$56,676

Typical Career

$79,787

Top Performers

$108,509

Estimated break-even: 5.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$532

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,649. Most students can comfortably afford about a $532 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 14.1%
Health Care & Social Assistance 13.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 11.8%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$60,445

Nominal: $79,787 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).

5.7 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 $31,741 $47,623 $67,118
5 Years After Graduation $56,676 $79,787 $108,509
10 Years After Graduation $75,158 $95,724 $137,790

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 $79,787 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)
= $79,787 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $60,445 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from SUNY College at Purchase can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $47,623, which increases significantly to $79,787 five years post-graduation and reaches $95,724 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the COL index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary five years after graduation is approximately $60,444.7, indicating that while the nominal figures are promising, the real value of earnings may be impacted by higher living costs.

The top industries for Mathematics graduates include Educational Services (14.1%), Health Care & Social Assistance (13.2%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (11.8%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 5.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a Mathematics degree appears favorable. Graduates can expect to enter diverse fields that leverage their analytical skills, making the degree a viable option for long-term career growth and stability.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Mathematics degree at SUNY College at Purchase stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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