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Finance and Financial Management Services at Lewis and Clark Community College

IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 52.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Finance and Financial Management Services degree from Lewis and Clark Community College earn a median salary of $53,814 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $58,621. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.1 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

$39,065

Typical Career

$53,814

Top Performers

$70,342

Estimated break-even: 11.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$359

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,485. Most students can comfortably afford about a $359 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.4%
Retail Trade 9.5%
Manufacturing 9.0%

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

$58,621

Nominal: $53,814 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

11.1 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 $29,458 $40,067 $49,855
5 Years After Graduation $39,065 $53,814 $70,342
10 Years After Graduation $41,244 $59,253 $95,189

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 $53,814 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $53,814 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $58,621 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Finance and Financial Management Services program at Lewis and Clark Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $40,067, increasing to $53,814 five years later, and reaching $59,253 ten years post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $58,620.92, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive financial standing relative to national averages despite the cost of living index in Illinois being slightly lower than the national average.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance industries, with 34.7%, 30.4%, and 25.5% of them finding employment in this sector at different stages. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program and the job market, particularly in a growing field. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 11.1 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, especially given the stable demand for financial expertise in health-related sectors.

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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.