ROI Major

Mechanical Engineering Technologies at Monroe Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mechanical Engineering Technologies degree from Monroe Community College earn a median salary of $66,273 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $50,207. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.4 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

$50,949

Typical Career

$66,273

Top Performers

$80,493

Estimated break-even: 7.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$442

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,523. Most students can comfortably afford about a $442 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 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 26.0%
Educational Services 10.8%
Retail Trade 9.8%

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

$50,207

Nominal: $66,273 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% lower 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).

7.4 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 $26,948 $41,766 $58,609
5 Years After Graduation $50,949 $66,273 $80,493
10 Years After Graduation $59,635 $80,792 $104,048

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 $66,273 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $66,273 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $50,207 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Mechanical Engineering Technologies program at Monroe Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory, with median earnings of $41,766 one year after graduation, increasing to $66,273 after five years, and reaching $80,792 after ten years. However, it's important to consider the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years post-graduation equate to approximately $50,206.82, indicating that while earnings grow, the local cost of living may impact real income.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 26.1% and 26.0% of employment, followed by Public Administration at 24.5%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 7.4 years, suggesting that while the investment in education may take some time to pay off, the long-term return on investment appears favorable. Overall, students considering this path should weigh the potential for higher earnings against the cost of living and the time required to achieve financial parity with high school graduates.

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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.