ROI Major

Human Resources Management and Services at William Rainey Harper College

IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 52.10

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Human Resources Management and Services degree from William Rainey Harper College earn a median salary of $65,534 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $71,388. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.7 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$65,534

Top Performers

$86,191

Estimated break-even: 6.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$437

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,461. Most students can comfortably afford about a $437 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 35.5%
Manufacturing 8.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.0%

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

$71,388

Nominal: $65,534 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).

6.7 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 $40,342 $52,920 $71,298
5 Years After Graduation $49,855 $65,534 $86,191
10 Years After Graduation $43,240 $84,159 $102,062

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 $65,534 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)
= $65,534 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $71,388 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Human Resources Management and Services from William Rainey Harper College experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $52,920, increasing to $65,534 after five years and reaching $84,159 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $71,387.8, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country, despite Illinois having a lower cost of living index.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 43.2% of graduates entering this field immediately after graduation. This trend continues, with 35.5% and 25.2% of graduates remaining in the same sector five and ten years later, respectively. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable, suggesting that graduates can expect a solid career trajectory and financial benefits over time.

Compare with Another School

See how the Human Resources Management and Services degree at William Rainey Harper College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Human Resources Management and Services at William Rainey Harper College.

Apply to William Rainey Harper College

Explore More

Other Degrees at William Rainey Harper College

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.