ROI Major

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services at Weatherford College

TX · Certificate Degree · CIP 12.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree from Weatherford College earn a median salary of $33,162 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $36,007. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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

$23,873

Typical Career

$33,162

Top Performers

$44,398

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$221

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,764. Most students can comfortably afford about a $221 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x 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, Public Administration, Retail Trade.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 37.4%
Public Administration 20.7%
Retail Trade 5.7%

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

$36,007

Nominal: $33,162 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $19,089 $25,350 $33,305
5 Years After Graduation $23,873 $33,162 $44,398
10 Years After Graduation $26,837 $37,041 $49,855

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 $33,162 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)
= $33,162 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $36,007 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services program at Weatherford College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,350, rising to $33,162 after five years, and reaching $37,041 after ten years. When considering purchasing power, the median salary adjusted for national equivalents after five years is approximately $36,006.51, which reflects the cost of living in Texas, where the college is located.

The top industries for graduates are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, accounting for 37.7% and 37.4% of employment, followed by Public Administration at 20.7%. While the potential for growth exists, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating a longer return on investment for students. This suggests that while the field can offer stable employment, the financial benefits may take time to materialize.

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See how the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services degree at Weatherford College 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.