ROI Major

Apparel and Textiles at Ohio State University (The)

OH · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 19.09

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Apparel and Textiles degree from Ohio State University (The) earn a median salary of $60,337 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $66,967. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.5 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$44,277

Typical Career

$60,337

Top Performers

$77,288

Estimated break-even: 8.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$402

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,028. Most students can comfortably afford about a $402 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 15.6%
Educational Services 14.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.0%

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

$66,967

Nominal: $60,337 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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).

8.5 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 $30,132 $41,092 $52,622
5 Years After Graduation $44,277 $60,337 $77,288
10 Years After Graduation $51,903 $73,024 $100,847

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 $60,337 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $60,337 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $66,967 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates in Apparel and Textiles from Ohio State University shows a promising increase over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $41,092, which rises to $60,337 after five years and further to $73,024 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to $66,966.70 nationally, indicating that graduates can expect competitive earnings relative to their peers across the country, especially considering Ohio's cost of living index of 0.901.

Graduates typically enter diverse industries, with the largest sectors being Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (15.6%), Educational Services (14.9%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (14.0%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 8.5 years, suggesting that the investment in a degree can yield favorable returns in the long run. Overall, the data indicates a solid return on investment for students pursuing this field at Ohio State University.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Apparel and Textiles degree at Ohio State University (The) 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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