ROI Major

Health and Medical Administrative Services at Lake Superior College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Medical Administrative Services degree from Lake Superior College earn a median salary of $41,742 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $44,359. The degree typically pays for itself in 52.2 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

$30,070

Typical Career

$41,742

Top Performers

$48,334

Estimated break-even: 52.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$278

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,479. Most students can comfortably afford about a $278 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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, Retail Trade, Manufacturing.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 61.4%
Retail Trade 4.3%
Manufacturing 4.1%

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

$44,359

Nominal: $41,742 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).

52.2 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 $25,214 $34,926 $39,784
5 Years After Graduation $30,070 $41,742 $48,334
10 Years After Graduation $29,704 $42,146 $53,578

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 $41,742 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)
= $41,742 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $44,359 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 Lake Superior College can expect a steady earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,926, increasing to $41,742 five years post-graduation, and slightly rising to $42,146 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $44,359.19, indicating that graduates may experience a modest increase in real income over time, although the growth appears to plateau after the initial five years.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 61.4% employed in this field one year after graduation. This strong industry alignment suggests a stable job market for graduates. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 52.2 years, indicating a long return on investment. While the program offers a pathway into a growing industry, prospective students should consider the extended timeline for financial payoff relative to other educational options.

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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.