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Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright 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 - Wilbur Wright College earn a median salary of $39,831 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $43,389. The degree typically pays for itself in 23.3 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

$30,273

Typical Career

$39,831

Top Performers

$51,223

Estimated break-even: 23.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$266

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,319. Most students can comfortably afford about a $266 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, Public Administration, Retail Trade.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 38.7%
Public Administration 8.0%
Retail Trade 7.2%

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

$43,389

Nominal: $39,831 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).

23.3 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 $23,395 $32,403 $39,902
5 Years After Graduation $30,273 $39,831 $51,223
10 Years After Graduation $36,118 $49,000 $65,491

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 $39,831 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)
= $39,831 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $43,389 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions from City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College experience a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,403, increasing to $39,831 after five years, and reaching $49,000 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at approximately $43,388.89, reflecting the value of the degree in the Illinois market, where the cost of living index is slightly lower than the national average.

The primary employment sectors for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 59.8% entering this field immediately after graduation. This trend continues with 38.7% and 30.1% of graduates remaining in similar roles five and ten years later, respectively. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 23.3 years, indicating a long-term return on investment that may be favorable for those committed to a career in this field.

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See how the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright 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.