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Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at SUNY College of Technology at Canton

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from SUNY College of Technology at Canton earn a median salary of $54,522 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $41,305. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.8 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

$41,775

Typical Career

$54,522

Top Performers

$72,224

Estimated break-even: 10.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$363

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,544. Most students can comfortably afford about a $363 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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, Public Administration, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 29.9%
Public Administration 10.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.9%

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

$41,305

Nominal: $54,522 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).

10.8 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 $25,549 $32,972 $42,648
5 Years After Graduation $41,775 $54,522 $72,224
10 Years After Graduation $48,612 $64,578 $80,986

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 $54,522 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)
= $54,522 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $41,305 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at SUNY College of Technology at Canton can expect a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $28,634, which increases to $43,820 after five years and reaches $67,570 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to $33,196.97 nationally, reflecting the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while initial earnings may seem modest, they have the potential to grow significantly over time.

The top industries for graduates predominantly fall within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 30.4%, 29.9%, and 24.9% of graduates entering this sector. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program and the needs of these industries, potentially offering stable employment opportunities. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 12.5 years, indicating that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term return on investment appears favorable for those committed to the field.

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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.