ROI Major

Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Central Louisiana Technical Community College

LA · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.39

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree from Central Louisiana Technical Community College earn a median salary of $46,374 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in LA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $50,243. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.1 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

$38,159

Typical Career

$46,374

Top Performers

$56,045

Estimated break-even: 14.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$309

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,865. Most students can comfortably afford about a $309 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 Louisiana buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 44.4%
Manufacturing 8.9%
Retail Trade 8.7%

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

$50,243

Nominal: $46,374 in Louisiana (COL 92.3% of national avg) · 8.3% 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).

14.1 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 $29,861 $39,998 $50,140
5 Years After Graduation $38,159 $46,374 $56,045
10 Years After Graduation $42,709 $55,464 $71,298

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 $46,374 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in LA, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $46,374 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9230) = $50,243 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Health Professions and Related Programs at Central Louisiana Technical Community College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $39,998, which rises to $46,374 after five years and reaches $55,464 after ten years. When considering purchasing power, the adjusted five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $50,242.69, reflecting the cost of living in Louisiana, which has a cost-of-living index of 0.923 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance (44.4%), Retail Trade (12.0%), and Administrative & Support Services (11.6%). The estimated break-even point for pursuing this educational path versus a high school-only route is approximately 14.1 years. This indicates that while the initial investment in education may take over a decade to recoup, the long-term earnings potential in health-related fields suggests a favorable return on investment for those committed to this career trajectory.

Compare with Another School

See how the Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree at Central Louisiana Technical Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Central Louisiana Technical Community College.

Apply to Central Louisiana Technical Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Central Louisiana Technical Community 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.