ROI Major

Insurance at Missouri State University

MO · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.17

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Insurance degree from Missouri State University earn a median salary of $68,098 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $76,343. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.5 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$49,758

Typical Career

$68,098

Top Performers

$82,929

Estimated break-even: 6.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$454

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,675. Most students can comfortably afford about a $454 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 19.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance 16.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 11.3%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$76,343

Nominal: $68,098 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).

6.5 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 $41,154 $51,480 $64,930
5 Years After Graduation $49,758 $68,098 $82,929
10 Years After Graduation $55,464 $82,614 $128,416

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 $68,098 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)
= $68,098 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $76,343 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Insurance program at Missouri State University can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $51,480, which increases to $68,098 after five years and reaches $82,614 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to $76,343.05 nationally, indicating that graduates are likely to maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country.

The top industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (19.9%), Health Care & Social Assistance (16.1%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (11.3%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.5 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Insurance appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect not only to recoup their educational expenses but also to benefit from substantial long-term financial gains.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Insurance degree at Missouri State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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