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Carpenters at SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 46.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Carpenters degree from SUNY College of Technology at Delhi earn a median salary of $45,534 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $34,495. The degree typically pays for itself in 12 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

$34,222

Typical Career

$45,534

Top Performers

$68,179

Estimated break-even: 12 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$304

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,795. Most students can comfortably afford about a $304 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, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Construction.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 17.0%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 14.8%
Construction 11.1%

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

$34,495

Nominal: $45,534 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).

12 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 $24,698 $33,604 $48,315
5 Years After Graduation $34,222 $45,534 $68,179
10 Years After Graduation $45,023 $66,409 $89,880

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 $45,534 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)
= $45,534 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $34,495 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Carpenters program at SUNY College of Technology at Delhi experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $33,604, which increases to $45,534 after five years and reaches $66,409 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the cost of living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted five-year salary is approximately $34,495.45, indicating that while earnings grow, the local cost of living may impact overall financial comfort.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, with 35.2%, 17.0%, and 16.2% of graduates entering this sector. This concentration suggests a stable demand for skilled workers in these fields, which can provide job security. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 12 years, indicating that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term benefits in terms of earnings and job opportunities can be significant for those who pursue this career path.

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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.