ROI Major

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions at SUNY Westchester Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.15

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions degree from SUNY Westchester Community College earn a median salary of $52,251 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $39,584. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.8 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

$33,078

Typical Career

$52,251

Top Performers

$66,779

Estimated break-even: 15.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$348

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,354. Most students can comfortably afford about a $348 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x 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, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 40.6%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 10.4%
Educational Services 7.8%

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

$39,584

Nominal: $52,251 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).

15.8 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 $32,149 $45,751 $61,431
5 Years After Graduation $33,078 $52,251 $66,779
10 Years After Graduation $31,171 $47,574 $72,585

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 $52,251 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)
= $52,251 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $39,584 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions program at SUNY Westchester Community College experience a varied earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $45,751, which increases to $52,251 after five years. However, by the ten-year mark, median earnings slightly decrease to $47,574. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $39,584.09, indicating that while initial earnings may be promising, long-term financial stability may be influenced by the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter reflect a strong alignment with their training, with 40.6% working in Health Care & Social Assistance, followed by another 29.4% in the same sector, and 10.4% in Professional, Scientific & Technical Services. The estimated break-even point compared to a high school-only path is approximately 15.8 years, suggesting that while the investment in education may take time to pay off, the potential for career growth in these sectors remains significant. Overall, graduates can expect a moderate return on investment, particularly in the context of the high demand for mental and social health services.

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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.