ROI Major

Business/Commerce, General at Tarrant County College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business/Commerce, General degree from Tarrant County College District earn a median salary of $62,181 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $67,515. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.6 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

$44,831

Typical Career

$62,181

Top Performers

$85,262

Estimated break-even: 7.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$415

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,182. Most students can comfortably afford about a $415 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Finance & Insurance.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 25.2%
Educational Services 14.4%
Finance & Insurance 8.2%

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

$67,515

Nominal: $62,181 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% higher 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).

7.6 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 $35,872 $50,338 $76,563
5 Years After Graduation $44,831 $62,181 $85,262
10 Years After Graduation $46,728 $68,521 $96,665

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 $62,181 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $62,181 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $67,515 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business/Commerce, General program at Tarrant County College District experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $54,051, which increases slightly to $54,306 five years post-graduation. By the ten-year mark, earnings rise significantly to $70,135. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $58,964.17, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive income relative to national standards despite the lower cost of living index in Texas.

The program prepares students for diverse career paths, with the top industries being Health Care & Social Assistance (25.2%), Transportation & Warehousing (19.2%), and Public Administration (18.9%). The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 8.5 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment over time. Overall, pursuing a degree in Business/Commerce at Tarrant County College District appears to offer a solid financial foundation and access to growing sectors in the job market.

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See how the Business/Commerce, General degree at Tarrant County College District stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.