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Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Southern State Community College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree from Southern State Community College earn a median salary of $36,620 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $40,644. The degree typically pays for itself in 128.4 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

$27,855

Typical Career

$36,620

Top Performers

$44,098

Estimated break-even: 128.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$244

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,052. Most students can comfortably afford about a $244 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 41.8%
Manufacturing 9.9%
Retail Trade 8.1%

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

$40,644

Nominal: $36,620 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).

128.4 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 $23,252 $29,529 $34,701
5 Years After Graduation $27,855 $36,620 $44,098
10 Years After Graduation $30,227 $40,342 $55,181

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 $36,620 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)
= $36,620 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $40,644 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services program at Southern State Community College can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $29,529.00, increasing to $36,620.00 after five years and reaching $40,342.00 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $40,643.73, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive salary relative to national standards despite the lower cost of living in Ohio.

The program primarily funnels graduates into the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with a significant 70.9% entering this field. The high concentration in a single industry suggests a stable job market, but it may limit diversification in career options. The estimated break-even point compared to a high school-only path is approximately 128.4 years, indicating a long-term return on investment. Overall, while the program offers a pathway to employment in a growing field, prospective students should weigh the extended break-even period against their career goals and financial expectations.

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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.