ROI Major

Marketing at Terra State Community College

OH · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.14

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Marketing degree from Terra State Community College earn a median salary of $41,695 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,276. The degree typically pays for itself in 21.2 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

$28,497

Typical Career

$41,695

Top Performers

$59,476

Estimated break-even: 21.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$278

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,475. Most students can comfortably afford about a $278 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x 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: Manufacturing, Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Manufacturing 26.4%
Health Care & Social Assistance 19.8%
Retail Trade 7.5%

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

$46,276

Nominal: $41,695 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).

21.2 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 $24,266 $28,805 $42,371
5 Years After Graduation $28,497 $41,695 $59,476
10 Years After Graduation $29,336 $50,539 $79,314

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 $41,695 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)
= $41,695 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $46,276 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Marketing program at Terra State Community College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $28,805, which rises to $41,695 after five years and reaches $50,539 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $46,276.36, reflecting the cost of living in Ohio, which has a COL index of 0.901 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Manufacturing, with 38.8%, 29.9%, and 26.4% of graduates entering this sector at various stages. The estimated break-even point for pursuing a degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 21.2 years, indicating a long-term return on investment for students. Overall, while the initial earnings may be modest, the trajectory suggests a potential for growth, particularly within the manufacturing sector, which remains a significant employer for graduates.

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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.