ROI Major

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services at State University of New York at Oneonta

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 19.05

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services degree from State University of New York at Oneonta earn a median salary of $61,468 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,567. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.8 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$43,197

Typical Career

$61,468

Top Performers

$75,470

Estimated break-even: 7.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$410

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,122. Most students can comfortably afford about a $410 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 New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 23.7%
Health Care & Social Assistance 15.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.3%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$46,567

Nominal: $61,468 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% lower 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).

7.8 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 $31,853 $44,129 $59,414
5 Years After Graduation $43,197 $61,468 $75,470
10 Years After Graduation $60,095 $82,142 $115,337

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 $61,468 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $61,468 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $46,567 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services from State University of New York at Oneonta experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $44,129, which increases to $61,468 five years post-graduation and reaches $82,142 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $46,566.67, indicating that while earnings are competitive, the cost of living in New York (COL index of 1.32) may impact overall financial outcomes.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (23.7%), Health Care & Social Assistance (15.2%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (9.3%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.8 years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, while the initial costs may be higher due to the state's living expenses, the long-term earnings potential and industry demand present a favorable outlook for graduates in this field.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services degree at State University of New York at Oneonta stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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