Business Administration and Management at Northeast Iowa Community College
IA · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.02
Executive Summary
Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Northeast Iowa Community College earn a median salary of $42,146 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,249. The degree typically pays for itself in 23.6 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
$31,631
Typical Career
$42,146
Top Performers
$55,127
Estimated break-even: 23.6 years.
Debt-to-Income Check
$281
Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment
Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,512. Most students can comfortably afford about a $281 monthly loan payment with this degree.
Comparison Bench
This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.
Purchasing Power Context
A dollar in Iowa buys what costs $0.89 nationally.
Industry Breadcrumbs
Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade.
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
$47,249
Nominal: $42,146 in Iowa (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 | $26,502 | $35,207 | $45,000 |
| 5 Years After Graduation | $31,631 | $42,146 | $55,127 |
| 10 Years After Graduation | $35,153 | $47,750 | $63,068 |
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 $42,146 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IA, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.
Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $42,146 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920)
= $47,249 National Average equivalent.
COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →
Career Verdict
The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 51.8% of placements, followed by Manufacturing at 19.9%. This indicates a strong demand for business administration skills within essential sectors. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 23.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree is substantial, particularly given the potential for growth in earnings and job stability in these key industries.
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Other Degrees at Northeast Iowa Community College
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.