ROI Major

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J. Daley College

IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 51.10

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J. Daley College earn a median salary of $38,967 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $42,448. The degree typically pays for itself in 54 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

$30,620

Typical Career

$38,967

Top Performers

$52,251

Estimated break-even: 54 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$260

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,247. Most students can comfortably afford about a $260 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Construction, Retail Trade.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.5%
Construction 17.8%
Retail Trade 6.6%

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

$42,448

Nominal: $38,967 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).

54 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 $24,503 $31,796 $39,975
5 Years After Graduation $30,620 $38,967 $52,251
10 Years After Graduation $31,066 $42,446 $53,647

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 $38,967 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)
= $38,967 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $42,448 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions program at City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J. Daley College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $31,796, rising to $38,967 after five years and reaching $42,446 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $42,447.71, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive earning potential despite the cost of living in Illinois being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, accounting for 35.7% and 30.5% of employment, alongside a notable 24.2% in Construction. While the program offers a pathway into stable and growing sectors, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only education is approximately 54 years. This extended timeframe suggests that while the career can be rewarding, the return on investment may require careful consideration of long-term financial goals and job market dynamics.

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See how the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J. Daley 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.