ROI Major

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at San Jacinto Community College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 12.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree from San Jacinto Community College District earn a median salary of $45,260 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,142. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.8 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

$32,785

Typical Career

$45,260

Top Performers

$56,700

Estimated break-even: 11.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$302

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,772. Most students can comfortably afford about a $302 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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, Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 28.5%
Educational Services 15.9%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.6%

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

$49,142

Nominal: $45,260 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).

11.8 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 $22,083 $29,296 $41,486
5 Years After Graduation $32,785 $45,260 $56,700
10 Years After Graduation $49,855 $70,184 $85,664

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 $45,260 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)
= $45,260 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $49,142 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 San Jacinto Community College District can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,865, rising to $36,683 five years post-graduation, and reaching $43,458 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary equates to approximately $39,829.53 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real income over time.

The primary industries where graduates find employment include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 28.5% and 26.7% of placements, followed by Manufacturing at 17.2%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 49.2 years, suggesting that while the program may offer valuable skills, the return on investment in terms of earnings may take considerable time to materialize. Overall, students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their career path in cosmetology.

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See how the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree at San Jacinto Community College District stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.