ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Triton College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Triton College earn a median salary of $49,659 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $54,095. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.5 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

$31,905

Typical Career

$49,659

Top Performers

$65,743

Estimated break-even: 11.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$331

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,138. Most students can comfortably afford about a $331 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 35.0%
Retail Trade 8.4%
Educational Services 7.9%

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

$54,095

Nominal: $49,659 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

11.5 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 $29,102 $40,052 $63,769
5 Years After Graduation $31,905 $49,659 $65,743
10 Years After Graduation $42,201 $61,703 $96,448

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 $49,659 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $49,659 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $54,095 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business Administration and Management program at Triton College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,052, which increases to $49,659 five years post-graduation, and further rises to $61,703 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with the national average at approximately $54,094.77, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive earning potential relative to their peers across the country.

The top industries that graduates enter predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, with percentages of 39.5%, 35.0%, and 33.7% across different roles. This concentration suggests a strong demand for business administration skills within these sectors. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately 11.5 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, especially given the stability and growth potential in the health care industry.

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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.