ROI Major

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at York Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.10

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree from York Technical College earn a median salary of $45,525 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,820. The degree typically pays for itself in 16.3 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

$39,092

Typical Career

$45,525

Top Performers

$56,203

Estimated break-even: 16.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$304

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,794. Most students can comfortably afford about a $304 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 27.0%
Manufacturing 16.0%
Retail Trade 8.7%

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

$47,820

Nominal: $45,525 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% 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).

16.3 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 $40,067 $44,947 $50,799
5 Years After Graduation $39,092 $45,525 $56,203
10 Years After Graduation $39,425 $50,615 $68,702

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 $45,525 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $45,525 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $47,820 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions program at York Technical College can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $44,947, which increases slightly to $45,525 five years post-graduation and reaches $50,615 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $47,820.38, reflecting a competitive income relative to national standards, especially considering South Carolina's cost of living index of 0.952.

The majority of graduates find employment in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 45.3% entering this field immediately after graduation. This trend continues with 27.0% and 24.8% of graduates remaining in similar roles over time. The estimated break-even point for this educational path versus a high-school-only route is approximately 16.3 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for students pursuing this degree, particularly given the strong demand in the health care industry.

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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.