ROI Major

Criminal Justice and Corrections at William Rainey Harper College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 43.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Criminal Justice and Corrections degree from William Rainey Harper College earn a median salary of $53,873 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $58,685. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.7 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

$36,903

Typical Career

$53,873

Top Performers

$78,372

Estimated break-even: 9.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$359

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,489. Most students can comfortably afford about a $359 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 25.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.7%
Educational Services 9.5%

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

$58,685

Nominal: $53,873 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).

9.7 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 $27,929 $36,652 $52,882
5 Years After Graduation $36,903 $53,873 $78,372
10 Years After Graduation $50,441 $73,075 $103,197

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 $53,873 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)
= $53,873 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $58,685 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 William Rainey Harper College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,652, which increases to $53,873 five years post-graduation and reaches $73,075 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation reflect a national equivalent of $58,685.19, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earning potential relative to the national average despite the cost of living differences in Illinois.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, comprising 43.2%, 35.5%, and 25.2% of employment opportunities. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program's training and the needs of these sectors. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 9.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections appears favorable, particularly as graduates advance in their careers and earnings potential increases.

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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.