ROI Major

Health and Medical Administrative Services at Iowa Lakes Community College

IA · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Medical Administrative Services degree from Iowa Lakes Community College earn a median salary of $37,935 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $42,528. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$31,008

Typical Career

$37,935

Top Performers

$48,258

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$253

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,161. Most students can comfortably afford about a $253 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 Iowa buys what costs $0.89 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.5%
Manufacturing 11.9%
Retail Trade 10.1%

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

$42,528

Nominal: $37,935 in Iowa (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $24,377 $30,731 $37,333
5 Years After Graduation $31,008 $37,935 $48,258
10 Years After Graduation $28,392 $38,141 $44,060

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 $37,935 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IA, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $37,935 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $42,528 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Health and Medical Administrative Services program at Iowa Lakes Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $30,731, which rises to $37,935 five years later. However, the earnings plateau at $38,141 ten years post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent to national standards is approximately $42,528, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook remains stable, albeit not significantly increasing.

The primary industries where graduates find employment include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 43.4% of placements, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 27.5%, and Manufacturing at 19.2%. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, suggesting that while the program offers valuable skills, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. This analysis highlights the importance of weighing immediate financial outcomes against long-term career benefits when considering this educational path.

Compare with Another School

See how the Health and Medical Administrative Services degree at Iowa Lakes Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Health and Medical Administrative Services at Iowa Lakes Community College.

Apply to Iowa Lakes Community College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Iowa Lakes Community College

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.