ROI Major

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at Northeastern Junior College

CO · Associate's Degree · CIP 12.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree from Northeastern Junior College earn a median salary of $29,948 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in CO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $28,495. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$23,352

Typical Career

$29,948

Top Performers

$39,224

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$200

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,496. Most students can comfortably afford about a $200 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 Colorado buys what costs $1.05 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 43.3%
Public Administration 10.3%
Retail Trade 8.0%

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

$28,495

Nominal: $29,948 in Colorado (COL 105.1% of national avg) · 4.9% 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $17,582 $22,545 $27,955
5 Years After Graduation $23,352 $29,948 $39,224
10 Years After Graduation $24,390 $33,372 $45,075

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 $29,948 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in CO, which has a cost-of-living index of 105.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $29,948 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0510) = $28,495 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services program at Northeastern Junior College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $22,545, rising to $29,948 after five years and reaching $33,372 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $28,494.77, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth, albeit at a slower pace compared to other career paths.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 43.3% of placements, followed by additional roles in the same sector at 20.4%, and Public Administration at 19.0%. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, suggesting that while there are opportunities in these fields, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. This indicates that students should weigh their long-term career aspirations and financial goals carefully before committing to this educational path.

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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.