ROI Major

Public Administration and Social Service, General at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 44.00

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Public Administration and Social Service, General degree from Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College earn a median salary of $46,093 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $48,983. The degree typically pays for itself in 13.6 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

$32,115

Typical Career

$46,093

Top Performers

$58,093

Estimated break-even: 13.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$307

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,841. Most students can comfortably afford about a $307 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 Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 33.1%
Public Administration 28.1%
Retail Trade 7.3%

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

$48,983

Nominal: $46,093 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

13.6 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 $25,338 $36,412 $48,943
5 Years After Graduation $32,115 $46,093 $58,093
10 Years After Graduation $42,033 $58,227 $65,590

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 $46,093 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $46,093 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $48,983 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Public Administration and Social Service program at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,412, rising to $46,093 after five years and reaching $58,227 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $48,983, indicating that graduates can maintain a relatively stable economic position compared to national averages, despite the cost of living index in Minnesota being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance, which employs 62.3% of alumni, and Public Administration, with 39.3%. This indicates a strong alignment between the program's training and job market opportunities. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 13.6 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term return on investment is favorable, particularly in sectors that are critical to community well-being and governance.

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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.