Central Oregon Community College Graduation Outcomes

February 3, 2025

Using data from the United States Census Bureau’s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), an experimental data product, we can gain insights on how much graduates of Central Oregon Community College (COCC) are earning and what industries they are joining. In this article, I will look at earnings by select programs of study at COCC, one and five years after graduation. 

Health Professions and Related Programs Graduates Earn Top Wages 

For all instructional programs, one-year post graduation earnings are $32,123. Five-year post-graduation earnings are $44,169. The median wage of a COCC graduate increased by $12,046 (37.5%) five years after graduation, relative to one year after graduation. 

It is not a surprise that earnings vary drastically by program. Of the listed programs, one-year post-graduation wages range from $24,905 (Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities) to $55,245 (Health Professions and Related Programs). These same two programs represent the low and high of five-year post-graduation earnings at $38,828 and $66,988, respectively. Two other programs above both the one-year and five-year post-graduation earnings for all programs are Natural Resources and Conservation, and Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities are below the one- and five-year post-graduation median earnings. 

This data does not include every graduate. The universe is limited to graduates who earn at least the annual equivalent of full-time work at the prevailing federal minimum wage and work three or more quarters in a calendar year.

You can explore the data for yourself here using the PSEO Explorer tool. There you can not only examine earnings data for different programs and schools, but you can also find information on the flow of graduates to industries or regions of the U.S.

Whether you’re planning your path to college or developing the local workforce, these data provide a much firmer understanding of the value of post-secondary programs in our area.