Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at McLennan Community College
TX · Certificate Degree · CIP 12.04
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree from McLennan Community College earn a median salary of $31,590 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $34,300. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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
$23,951
Typical Career
$31,590
Top Performers
$40,194
Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.
Debt-to-Income Check
$211
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,633. Most students can comfortably afford about a $211 monthly loan payment with this degree.
Comparison Bench
This degree earns 0.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x 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, Public Administration, Retail Trade.
Where Certificate 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
$34,300
Nominal: $31,590 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).
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 | $18,230 | $23,743 | $29,421 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $23,951 | $31,590 | $40,194 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $27,788 | $38,425 | $49,855 |
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 $31,590 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)
= $31,590 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210)
= $34,300 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance industries, with 80.5% of them finding employment in this sector. This trend continues with significant percentages in various roles within the same field, suggesting a strong demand for skills acquired in the program. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating that while there are opportunities for advancement, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize.
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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.