ROI Major

Agricultural Production Operations at SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 01.03

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Agricultural Production Operations degree from SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville earn a median salary of $42,570 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $32,250. The degree typically pays for itself in 18.4 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$32,412

Typical Career

$42,570

Top Performers

$52,850

Estimated break-even: 18.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$284

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,548. Most students can comfortably afford about a $284 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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: Retail Trade, Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Retail Trade 14.1%
Health Care & Social Assistance 11.9%
Public Administration 10.1%

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

$32,250

Nominal: $42,570 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).

18.4 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 $25,735 $33,014 $40,342
5 Years After Graduation $32,412 $42,570 $52,850
10 Years After Graduation $41,549 $52,165 $73,585

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 $42,570 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)
= $42,570 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $32,250 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Agricultural Production Operations program at SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville experience a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $33,014, rising to $42,570 after five years and reaching $52,165 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $32,250, indicating that while earnings increase, the cost of living in New York may impact the real value of these salaries.

The program's graduates predominantly enter industries such as Retail Trade (14.1%), Health Care & Social Assistance (11.9%), and Public Administration (10.1%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 18.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree can be considered moderate. Prospective students should weigh the long-term benefits against the initial financial commitment and the cost of living in New York.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Agricultural Production Operations degree at SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville 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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