ROI Major

Mason/Masonry at SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 46.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mason/Masonry degree from SUNY College of Technology at Alfred earn a median salary of $47,119 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $35,696. The degree typically pays for itself in 13.1 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

$36,314

Typical Career

$47,119

Top Performers

$61,456

Estimated break-even: 13.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$314

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,927. Most students can comfortably afford about a $314 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 New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Construction.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 15.8%
Manufacturing 14.0%
Construction 11.6%

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

$35,696

Nominal: $47,119 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).

13.1 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 $25,554 $33,314 $40,765
5 Years After Graduation $36,314 $47,119 $61,456
10 Years After Graduation $47,574 $60,442 $73,728

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 $47,119 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)
= $47,119 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $35,696 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Mason/Masonry program at SUNY College of Technology at Alfred experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $33,314, increasing to $47,119 after five years and reaching $60,442 by the ten-year mark. However, when considering the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted five-year salary is approximately $35,696.21, indicating that while earnings grow, the local cost of living may impact overall financial stability.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (22.0%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (21.8%), and Manufacturing (17.1%). This diversification in employment sectors suggests that graduates have various opportunities available to them. The estimated break-even point for pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 13.1 years, which indicates a moderate return on investment. Overall, while the earnings potential is promising, students should weigh the costs of education and living expenses in New York against their long-term financial 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.