Agricultural Production Operations at Lake Area Technical College
SD · Associate's Degree · CIP 01.03
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Agricultural Production Operations degree from Lake Area Technical College earn a median salary of $51,223 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SD, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $54,609. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.1 years.
Quick Insights
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
$42,505
Typical Career
$51,223
Top Performers
$60,342
Estimated break-even: 11.1 years.
Debt-to-Income Check
$341
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,269. Most students can comfortably afford about a $341 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 South Dakota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.
Industry Breadcrumbs
Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade.
Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work
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
$54,609
Nominal: $51,223 in South Dakota (COL 93.8% of national avg) · 6.6% 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).
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 | $29,336 | $38,967 | $51,576 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $42,505 | $51,223 | $60,342 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $44,129 | $62,818 | $82,803 |
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 $51,223 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SD, which has a cost-of-living index of 93.8% of the national average.
Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $51,223 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9380)
= $54,609 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The program leads graduates primarily into the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 52.2% of employment, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 18.8%, and Manufacturing at 17.9%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 11.1 years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this path. Overall, the combination of stable earnings growth and diverse employment opportunities in key industries supports a favorable career outlook for graduates.
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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.