ROI Major

Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies at Lamar State College - Port Arthur

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies degree from Lamar State College - Port Arthur earn a median salary of $76,487 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $83,048. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.1 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$48,761

Typical Career

$76,487

Top Performers

$122,926

Estimated break-even: 6.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$510

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,374. Most students can comfortably afford about a $510 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 46.7%
Educational Services 10.5%
Retail Trade 6.7%

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

$83,048

Nominal: $76,487 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

6.1 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 $30,534 $45,030 $64,226
5 Years After Graduation $48,761 $76,487 $122,926
10 Years After Graduation $51,223 $89,177 $158,313

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 $76,487 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $76,487 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $83,048 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies program at Lamar State College - Port Arthur can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $51,694, which increases significantly to $71,441 five years post-graduation and reaches $79,787 after ten years. When considering purchasing power, the adjusted five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $77,568.95, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 91.6% entering this sector. This trend suggests a strong demand for skills in these areas, which may provide job security and growth opportunities. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.2 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, making it a viable option for students considering their future career paths.

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See how the Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies degree at Lamar State College - Port Arthur 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.