Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians: is this associate's degree worth it?
National picture across 34 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff
+$179,732 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
Observed earnings clearly outpace the comparison earnings and estimated education cost in this scenario.
3.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
+154%Modeled 10-year ROI
$74,666Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$74,666Median reported earnings · year 4
$66,541Average reported earnings · year 5
$12,000Median federal debt
91thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
34Reporting programs
31With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $65,611
- Federal debt
- $9,500
- Reporting programs
- 61
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $74,666
- Federal debt
- $12,000
- Reporting programs
- 34
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $83,528
- Federal debt
- $23,250
- Reporting programs
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$65,015National median$74,66675th percentile$77,631
31 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Dakota County Technical College$89,2052Bluegrass Community and Technical College$88,9963Owensboro Community and Technical College$85,2744South Georgia Technical College$81,9625State Technical College of Missouri$81,0006Georgia Northwestern Technical College$79,9737Itawamba Community College$78,1398Pennsylvania College of Technology$77,9559Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College$77,63110Elizabethtown Community and Technical College$75,769Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical DoorSOC 49-9012 · 2 crosswalk linksElevator and Escalator Installers and RepairersSOC 47-4021 · 1 crosswalk linksIndustrial Machinery MechanicsSOC 49-9041 · 1 crosswalk linksMaintenance Workers, MachinerySOC 49-9043 · 1 crosswalk linksMillwrightsSOC 49-9044 · 1 crosswalk linksMobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except EnginesSOC 49-3042 · 1 crosswalk linksNO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 1 crosswalk linksRail Car RepairersSOC 49-3043 · 1 crosswalk linksRefractory Materials Repairers, Except BrickmasonsSOC 49-9045 · 1 crosswalk linksWind Turbine Service TechniciansSOC 49-9081 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakota County Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rosemount, MN | $89,205 | $12,000 | +278% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Lexington, KY | $88,996 | $10,250 | +330% | Strong payoff |
| 3 | Owensboro Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Owensboro, KY | $85,274 | Not available | +296% | Strong payoff |
| 4 | South Georgia Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Americus, GA | $81,962 | Not available | +300% | Strong payoff |
| 5 | State Technical College of MissouriAssociate's Degree | Linn, MO | $81,000 | $12,000 | +199% | Strong payoff |
| 6 | Georgia Northwestern Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rome, GA | $79,973 | Not available | +245% | Strong payoff |
| 7 | Itawamba Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Fulton, MS | $78,139 | Not available | +234% | Strong payoff |
| 8 | Pennsylvania College of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | Williamsport, PA | $77,955 | $14,750 | +135% | Strong payoff |
| 9 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Bowling Green, KY | $77,631 | $8,581 | +236% | Strong payoff |
| 10 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Elizabethtown, KY | $75,769 | $10,838 | +207% | Strong payoff |
| 11 | University of Arkansas at MonticelloAssociate's Degree | Monticello, AR | $75,310 | Not available | +156% | Strong payoff |
| 12 | Ferris State UniversityAssociate's Degree | Big Rapids, MI | $75,106 | $13,000 | +181% | Strong payoff |
| 13 | San Joaquin Valley College-VisaliaAssociate's Degree | Visalia, CA | $74,666 | Not available | +104% | Strong payoff |
| 14 | San Joaquin Valley College-BakersfieldAssociate's Degree | Bakersfield, CA | $74,666 | Not available | +117% | Strong payoff |
| 15 | San Joaquin Valley College-OntarioAssociate's Degree | Ontario, CA | $74,666 | Not available | +106% | Strong payoff |
| 16 | San Joaquin Valley College-ModestoAssociate's Degree | Salida, CA | $74,666 | Not available | +107% | Strong payoff |
| 17 | San Juan CollegeAssociate's Degree | Farmington, NM | $74,392 | Not available | +189% | Strong payoff |
| 18 | York Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Rock Hill, SC | $73,523 | $11,750 | +180% | Strong payoff |
| 19 | Aiken Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Graniteville, SC | $70,528 | Not available | +156% | Strong payoff |
| 20 | Ranken Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Saint Louis, MO | $68,900 | $12,000 | +87% | Positive payoff |
| 21 | SUNY College of Technology at AlfredAssociate's Degree | Alfred, NY | $66,453 | $12,000 | +79% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | Universal Technical Institute-CantonAssociate's Degree | Canton, MI | $66,238 | $19,685 | +56% | Positive payoff |
| 23 | Northern Michigan UniversityAssociate's Degree | Marquette, MI | $66,203 | Not available | +79% | Positive payoff |
| 24 | Lincoln College of Technology-IndianapolisAssociate's Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $65,015 | Not available | +36% | Positive payoff |
| 25 | Nashville Auto-Diesel CollegeAssociate's Degree | Nashville, TN | $65,015 | Not available | +29% | Positive payoff |
| 26 | Gadsden State Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Gadsden, AL | $55,801 | Not available | +11% | Positive payoff |
| 27 | Miller-Motte College-ChattanoogaAssociate's Degree | Chattanooga, TN | $55,317 | $27,986 | -25% | Negative payoff |
| 28 | Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-AllentownAssociate's Degree | Allentown, PA | $55,317 | $27,986 | -23% | Negative payoff |
| 29 | Northeast Mississippi Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Booneville, MS | $54,921 | Not available | -7% | Negative payoff |
| 30 | San Diego Miramar CollegeAssociate's Degree | San Diego, CA | $50,929 | Not available | -39% | Negative payoff |
| 31 | Coahoma Community CollegeAssociate's Degree | Clarksdale, MS | $34,554 | Not available | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 32 | Maysville Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Maysville, KY | Not available | $8,248 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $4,605 |
| 33 | Gateway Community and Technical CollegeAssociate's Degree | Florence, KY | Not available | $12,000 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $5,725 |
| 34 | Oklahoma State University Institute of TechnologyAssociate's Degree | Okmulgee, OK | Not available | $11,667 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $10,999 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.