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Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Herkimer County Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 24.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities degree from Herkimer County Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $40,151 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $30,417. The degree typically pays for itself in 19.4 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

$29,519

Typical Career

$40,151

Top Performers

$55,413

Estimated break-even: 19.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$268

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,346. Most students can comfortably afford about a $268 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 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

$30,417

Nominal: $40,151 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).

19.4 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 $19,872 $26,982 $36,775
5 Years After Graduation $29,519 $40,151 $55,413
10 Years After Graduation $38,265 $53,222 $71,857

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 $40,151 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)
= $40,151 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $30,417 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities program at Herkimer County Community College experience a notable earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $26,982, which increases to $40,151 after five years and reaches $53,222 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary after five years is approximately $30,417.42, indicating that graduates may face challenges in maintaining purchasing power relative to national standards.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, 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 graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 19.4 years, suggesting a long-term return on investment. While the earnings potential is evident, the lengthy break-even period may lead some students to weigh their options carefully before committing to this educational path.

Compare with Another School

See how the Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 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.