ROI Major

Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.39

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree from Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College earn a median salary of $60,837 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $64,651. The degree typically pays for itself in 8 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

$44,327

Typical Career

$60,837

Top Performers

$76,393

Estimated break-even: 8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$406

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,070. Most students can comfortably afford about a $406 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 Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 35.0%
Educational Services 8.6%
Manufacturing 6.7%

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

$64,651

Nominal: $60,837 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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 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 $32,705 $42,322 $50,559
5 Years After Graduation $44,327 $60,837 $76,393
10 Years After Graduation $55,935 $81,500 $107,552

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 $60,837 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $60,837 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $64,651 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Health Professions and Related Programs at Saint Paul College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,059, which increases to $56,225 five years post-graduation, and reaches $70,713 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $59,750.27, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market despite regional cost-of-living differences, as Minnesota's COL index is 0.941 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries where graduates find employment include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 35.0% of placements, followed by Construction at 29.2%, and another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 28.1%. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 8.9 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing these programs appears favorable. This suggests that the career opportunities and earnings potential in these fields justify the educational investment made by students.

Compare with Another School

See how the Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 degree at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Health Professions and Related Programs — CIP 51.39 at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College.

Apply to Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical 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.