ROI Major

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Western Wyoming Community College

WY · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from Western Wyoming Community College earn a median salary of $46,887 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in WY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $50,362. The degree typically pays for itself in 12.7 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

$32,257

Typical Career

$46,887

Top Performers

$68,291

Estimated break-even: 12.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$313

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,907. Most students can comfortably afford about a $313 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Wyoming buys what costs $0.93 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.4%
Educational Services 14.2%
Retail Trade 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

$50,362

Nominal: $46,887 in Wyoming (COL 93.1% of national avg) · 7.4% 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).

12.7 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 $23,742 $34,494 $53,591
5 Years After Graduation $32,257 $46,887 $68,291
10 Years After Graduation $41,610 $61,498 $90,970

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 $46,887 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in WY, which has a cost-of-living index of 93.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $46,887 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9310) = $50,362 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at Western Wyoming Community College experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $34,494, increasing to $46,887 after five years and reaching $61,498 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $50,361.98, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain a competitive edge relative to national standards despite the cost of living index in Wyoming being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 30.4% and 27.4% of employment, and Mining, Quarrying & Oil/Gas Extraction at 15.3%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 12.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Students should consider these factors when evaluating their career prospects and the potential benefits of further education in relation to their long-term financial goals.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree at Western Wyoming Community College 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.