ROI Major

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Herkimer County Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree from Herkimer County Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $50,468 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $38,233. The degree typically pays for itself in 12 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

$40,465

Typical Career

$50,468

Top Performers

$60,590

Estimated break-even: 12 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$336

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,206. Most students can comfortably afford about a $336 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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, Retail Trade, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 23.8%
Retail Trade 12.0%
Educational Services 8.7%

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

$38,233

Nominal: $50,468 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).

12 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 $30,941 $40,596 $50,653
5 Years After Graduation $40,465 $50,468 $60,590
10 Years After Graduation $46,276 $58,363 $72,414

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 $50,468 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)
= $50,468 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $38,233 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services program at Herkimer County Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,596, increasing to $50,468 after five years and reaching $58,363 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $38,233.33, indicating that while earnings grow, the cost of living in New York may impact the real value of these salaries over time.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 31.7% of employment, followed by a significant 23.8% in the same sector and 15.8% in Educational Services. The estimated break-even point for this educational path versus a high school-only route is approximately 12 years, suggesting that while there is a substantial return on investment over time, graduates should consider the long-term financial implications of their educational choices in relation to their career paths.

Compare with Another School

See how the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree at Herkimer County 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.