ROI Major

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at South Suburban College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.08

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services degree from South Suburban College earn a median salary of $64,779 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $70,565. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.2 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

$44,024

Typical Career

$64,779

Top Performers

$76,709

Estimated break-even: 8.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$432

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,398. Most students can comfortably afford about a $432 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 42.1%
Educational Services 12.0%
Retail Trade 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

$70,565

Nominal: $64,779 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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).

8.2 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 $30,756 $41,799 $50,767
5 Years After Graduation $44,024 $64,779 $76,709
10 Years After Graduation $47,705 $64,930 $80,729

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 $64,779 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $64,779 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $70,565 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services program at South Suburban College can expect a significant increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $66,184, which rises to $89,546 after five years and reaches $112,375 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $97,544.66, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to national averages despite the cost-of-living index in Illinois being slightly lower than the national average.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 46.2% employed in this industry one year post-graduation, and similar percentages observed at the five and ten-year marks. This consistent entry into a stable and growing field suggests a favorable return on investment (ROI) for students, particularly given the estimated break-even point of approximately 4.2 years compared to a high-school-only pathway. Overall, the career prospects and financial outcomes for graduates appear promising, making this program a viable option for those pursuing a career in allied health.

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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.