ROI Major

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at Paris Junior College

TX · Certificate Degree · CIP 12.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree from Paris Junior College earn a median salary of $32,743 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $35,552. The degree typically pays for itself in 27.9 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

$22,183

Typical Career

$32,743

Top Performers

$51,028

Estimated break-even: 27.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$218

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,729. Most students can comfortably afford about a $218 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 Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 36.7%
Manufacturing 18.0%
Retail Trade 9.0%

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

$35,552

Nominal: $32,743 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

27.9 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 $18,945 $25,138 $34,211
5 Years After Graduation $22,183 $32,743 $51,028
10 Years After Graduation $35,666 $49,171 $70,012

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 $32,743 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $32,743 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $35,552 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services program at Paris Junior College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,138, which increases to $32,743 after five years, and further rises to $49,171 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary equates to approximately $35,551.57 nationally, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living despite regional cost of living differences, as Texas has a cost of living index of 0.921 compared to the national average.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 70.0% of them finding employment in this field. This trend continues with significant percentages also entering related industries, suggesting a strong demand for skills acquired in the program. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 27.9 years, indicating that while the program can lead to a fulfilling career, the return on investment may take considerable time to realize. Overall, prospective students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their career paths.

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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.