ROI Major

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Tarrant County College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from Tarrant County College District earn a median salary of $69,917 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $75,914. The degree typically pays for itself in 6 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$49,561

Typical Career

$69,917

Top Performers

$96,052

Estimated break-even: 6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$466

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,826. Most students can comfortably afford about a $466 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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, Finance & Insurance.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 25.2%
Educational Services 14.4%
Finance & Insurance 8.2%

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

$75,914

Nominal: $69,917 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).

6 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 $40,146 $55,684 $76,138
5 Years After Graduation $49,561 $69,917 $96,052
10 Years After Graduation $58,609 $83,137 $113,144

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 $69,917 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)
= $69,917 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $75,914 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at Tarrant County College District can expect a solid earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $43,212, increasing to $59,848 after five years and reaching $79,421 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $64,981.54, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in the job market relative to national standards, despite the cost of living index in Texas being slightly lower than the national average.

The program prepares students for diverse career opportunities, with the top industries for graduates being Health Care & Social Assistance (25.2%), Transportation & Warehousing (19.2%), and Public Administration (18.9%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 8.1 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for those who pursue this technical education. Overall, the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program offers a viable career path with promising financial outcomes and industry relevance.

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See how the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree at Tarrant County 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.