ROI Major

Mathematics at University of Wisconsin - Parkside

WI · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from University of Wisconsin - Parkside earn a median salary of $62,818 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $66,055. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.7 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

$49,855

Typical Career

$62,818

Top Performers

$74,872

Estimated break-even: 8.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$419

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,235. Most students can comfortably afford about a $419 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 Wisconsin buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 14.6%
Manufacturing 13.6%
Educational Services 13.4%

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

$66,055

Nominal: $62,818 in Wisconsin (COL 95.1% of national avg) · 5.2% 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).

8.7 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 $28,878 $40,550 $51,332
5 Years After Graduation $49,855 $62,818 $74,872
10 Years After Graduation $45,751 $64,085 $75,158

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 $62,818 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in WI, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $62,818 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9510) = $66,055 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates with a Mathematics degree from the University of Wisconsin - Parkside experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,550, which increases to $62,818 after five years and reaches $64,085 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $66,054.68, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to their peers across the country, despite Wisconsin's cost of living index being slightly lower than the national average.

The top industries for Mathematics graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (14.6%), Manufacturing (13.6%), and Educational Services (13.4%), suggesting diverse career opportunities. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 8.7 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for pursuing a degree. Overall, the data suggests that a Mathematics degree from UW-Parkside can lead to stable career prospects and a solid financial foundation in the long term.

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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.