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Business Administration and Management at Adirondack Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Adirondack Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $48,878 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $37,029. The degree typically pays for itself in 12.4 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

$35,801

Typical Career

$48,878

Top Performers

$67,987

Estimated break-even: 12.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$326

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,073. Most students can comfortably afford about a $326 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.2%
Retail Trade 10.1%
Educational Services 9.0%

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

$37,029

Nominal: $48,878 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% lower 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).

12.4 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 $25,282 $34,262 $47,764
5 Years After Graduation $35,801 $48,878 $67,987
10 Years After Graduation $44,688 $61,057 $89,277

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 $48,878 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $48,878 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $37,029 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at Adirondack Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,262, which increases to $48,878 after five years and reaches $61,057 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $37,028.79 nationally, reflecting the impact of the cost of living in New York, where the cost of living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The program prepares graduates for diverse career paths, with the top industries being Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 30.2% of graduates, followed by Retail Trade at 10.1%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 12.4 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term benefits in terms of earnings potential and career opportunities are significant.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at Adirondack Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges 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.