ROI Major

Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 01.06

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College earn a median salary of $53,225 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $58,812. The degree typically pays for itself in 12 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$44,483

Typical Career

$53,225

Top Performers

$63,184

Estimated break-even: 12 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$355

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,435. Most students can comfortably afford about a $355 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 Georgia buys what costs $0.91 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Wholesale Trade, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Wholesale Trade 13.7%
Educational Services 13.6%
Public Administration 12.3%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$58,812

Nominal: $53,225 in Georgia (COL 90.5% of national avg) · 10.5% 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 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 $35,222 $41,635 $48,809
5 Years After Graduation $44,483 $53,225 $63,184
10 Years After Graduation $43,047 $55,464 $79,787

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 $53,225 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in GA, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $53,225 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $58,812 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College can expect a steady earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $41,635, which increases to $53,225 after five years and reaches $55,464 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $58,812.15, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market despite regional cost-of-living differences.

The program's graduates primarily enter industries such as Wholesale Trade (13.7%), Educational Services (13.6%), and Public Administration (12.3%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 12 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the long-term benefits in terms of earnings and career opportunities can be significant. Overall, the return on investment appears favorable for those committed to this field.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services degree at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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