Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at Metropolitan Community College
MO · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.06
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree from Metropolitan Community College earn a median salary of $37,198 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $41,702. 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
$29,668
Typical Career
$37,198
Top Performers
$48,984
Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.
Debt-to-Income Check
$248
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,100. Most students can comfortably afford about a $248 monthly loan payment with this degree.
Comparison Bench
This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.
Purchasing Power Context
A dollar in Missouri buys what costs $0.89 nationally.
Industry Breadcrumbs
Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.
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
$41,702
Nominal: $37,198 in Missouri (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% 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 | $26,915 | $32,038 | $37,592 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $29,668 | $37,198 | $48,984 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $27,670 | $36,903 | $50,881 |
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 $37,198 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MO, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.
Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $37,198 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920)
= $41,702 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
Graduates primarily enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 26.4% and 25.4% of them finding employment in this field, alongside 22.6% in Manufacturing. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, suggesting that while the program can lead to stable employment, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. Overall, prospective students should weigh the long-term financial implications against their career aspirations in the dental support field.
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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.