ROI Major

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at State University of New York at Plattsburgh

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.07

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations degree from State University of New York at Plattsburgh earn a median salary of $61,737 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,770. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.7 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

$47,315

Typical Career

$61,737

Top Performers

$80,540

Estimated break-even: 7.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$412

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,145. Most students can comfortably afford about a $412 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 21.7%
Educational Services 15.6%
Public Administration 8.7%

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

$46,770

Nominal: $61,737 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).

7.7 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 $27,429 $36,560 $49,582
5 Years After Graduation $47,315 $61,737 $80,540
10 Years After Graduation $50,767 $100,394 $167,055

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 $61,737 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)
= $61,737 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $46,770 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations program at State University of New York at Plattsburgh experience a significant earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,560, which increase to $61,737 five years later, and reach $100,394 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary equates to approximately $46,770.45 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook is promising, particularly when considering the cost of living in New York.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (21.7%), Educational Services (15.6%), and Public Administration (8.7%). This diverse range of sectors suggests that graduates have multiple pathways to employment, enhancing their career flexibility. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.7 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, the program appears to offer a solid foundation for long-term career success and financial stability.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations degree at State University of New York at Plattsburgh 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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