Carpenters at City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College
IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 46.02
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Carpenters degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College earn a median salary of $40,883 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $44,535. The degree typically pays for itself in 26.1 years.
Quick Insights
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
$27,959
Typical Career
$40,883
Top Performers
$54,051
Estimated break-even: 26.1 years.
Debt-to-Income Check
$273
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,407. Most students can comfortably afford about a $273 monthly loan payment with this degree.
Comparison Bench
This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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: Accommodation & Food Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade.
Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work
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
$44,535
Nominal: $40,883 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).
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 | $22,480 | $28,901 | $40,613 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $27,959 | $40,883 | $54,051 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $31,048 | $47,705 | $70,870 |
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 $40,883 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)
= $40,883 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180)
= $44,535 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for a significant 42.4% of placements, followed by a notable 39.9% in the same sector and 19.4% in Accommodation & Food Services. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 26.1 years, indicating a long-term return on investment for those pursuing this vocational training. Overall, while the earnings trajectory shows promise, the extended break-even period suggests that students should weigh their options carefully against alternative career paths.
Compare with Another School
See how the Carpenters degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College 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.