ROI Major

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at York Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree from York Technical College earn a median salary of $64,628 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $67,887. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.9 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

$55,464

Typical Career

$64,628

Top Performers

$75,158

Estimated break-even: 6.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$431

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,386. Most students can comfortably afford about a $431 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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

$67,887

Nominal: $64,628 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).

6.9 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 $42,539 $56,772 $68,484
5 Years After Graduation $55,464 $64,628 $75,158
10 Years After Graduation $42,371 $57,726 $69,779

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 $64,628 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)
= $64,628 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $67,887 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions program at York Technical College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,868, which rises to $39,731 five years post-graduation and reaches $43,474 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $41,734.24 nationally, indicating that while the initial salary may be modest, the long-term financial outlook shows promise, particularly when considering cost of living differences in South Carolina.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 45.3% in their first job, followed by 27.0% and 24.8% in subsequent roles. This concentration in a stable and growing industry suggests a favorable job market for graduates. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 42.4 years, indicating that while the program offers a pathway to better earnings, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. Overall, students should weigh the long-term financial benefits against the time required to achieve them.

Compare with Another School

See how the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree at York Technical College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at York Technical College.

Apply to York Technical College

Explore More

Other Degrees at York Technical College

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.