ROI Major

Business/Commerce, General at Northeastern Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business/Commerce, General degree from Northeastern Technical College earn a median salary of $36,884 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $38,744. The degree typically pays for itself in 159.7 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

$28,573

Typical Career

$36,884

Top Performers

$46,615

Estimated break-even: 159.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$246

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,074. Most students can comfortably afford about a $246 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 South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 29.4%
Manufacturing 24.3%
Educational Services 8.4%

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

$38,744

Nominal: $36,884 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% 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).

159.7 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 $24,118 $32,523 $42,477
5 Years After Graduation $28,573 $36,884 $46,615
10 Years After Graduation $31,146 $39,967 $57,408

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 $36,884 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $36,884 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $38,744 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business/Commerce, General program at Northeastern Technical College experience a gradual increase in median earnings over time. One year post-graduation, the median earnings stand at $32,523.00, rising to $36,884.00 after five years and reaching $39,967.00 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $38,743.70, reflecting the cost of living in South Carolina (COL index: 0.952). This suggests that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth, albeit at a slower pace relative to national averages.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 62.6% of placements, followed by Manufacturing at 35.1% and a significant overlap in Health Care & Social Assistance at 29.4%. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 159.7 years, indicating a long-term return on investment for those pursuing this degree. While the program offers pathways into stable industries, the extended break-even period suggests that students should carefully consider the financial implications of their educational choices.

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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.