ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at Tarrant County College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 43.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from Tarrant County College District earn a median salary of $60,442 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $65,626. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.3 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

$41,048

Typical Career

$60,442

Top Performers

$84,719

Estimated break-even: 8.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$403

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,037. Most students can comfortably afford about a $403 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

$65,626

Nominal: $60,442 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).

8.3 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 $31,308 $46,350 $69,498
5 Years After Graduation $41,048 $60,442 $84,719
10 Years After Graduation $46,435 $68,802 $92,707

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 $60,442 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)
= $60,442 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $65,626 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Criminal Justice and Corrections program at Tarrant County College District experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $65,368, which increases to $75,919 after five years and reaches $81,058 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to $82,431.05 nationally, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive salary relative to their peers across the country, especially considering Texas's lower cost of living index of 0.921 compared to the national average.

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 4.9 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment. Overall, pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections at Tarrant County College District appears to offer a solid financial outlook and a range of career opportunities.

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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.