ROI Major

Precision Metal Working at Corning Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 48.05

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Precision Metal Working degree from Corning Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $60,837 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,089. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.1 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

$49,582

Typical Career

$60,837

Top Performers

$68,838

Estimated break-even: 7.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$406

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,070. Most students can comfortably afford about a $406 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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, Manufacturing, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 26.6%
Manufacturing 9.4%
Educational Services 9.4%

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

$46,089

Nominal: $60,837 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).

7.1 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 $46,055 $59,253 $78,278
5 Years After Graduation $49,582 $60,837 $68,838
10 Years After Graduation $54,051 $64,085 $83,557

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 $60,837 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)
= $60,837 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $46,089 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Precision Metal Working program at Corning Community College can expect a varied earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $53,873, which increases to $67,042 a decade later. However, the median earnings five years post-graduation dip to $52,031, suggesting potential fluctuations in income during the early career phase. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $39,417.42, indicating that while initial earnings may appear strong, the cost of living in New York (COL index: 1.32) could impact overall financial well-being.

The top industries for graduates reveal a significant focus on Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.6% of employment, followed by Manufacturing at 19.1% and a secondary Health Care & Social Assistance category at 12.1%. This distribution suggests a robust demand for skilled workers in both healthcare and manufacturing sectors. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately nine years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this program appears favorable, particularly for those who enter high-demand fields.

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See how the Precision Metal Working degree at Corning 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.