Methodology
How we source, combine, label, and limit every number on this site.
Labels you will see
- Verified data
- Published by an official source, stored with its file checksum, period, and retrieval date.
- Official projection
- An official BLS projection, shown as published.
- Calculated estimate
- ConnectPrep arithmetic on official data, with the method stated next to it.
- Scenario projection
- A what-if model driven by your assumptions. Never a forecast or promise.
- Verified by ConnectPrep
- Requirements and fees checked by ConnectPrep against the issuer or regulator website on the date shown.
- Live API
- Retrieved from an official API at request time.
- Data unavailable
- Not published or suppressed for privacy. We do not fill gaps with estimates.
Definitions
| Statistic | Definition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | Half of workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less. From the BLS OEWS survey of employers, May 2025 reference period. Covers all workers in the occupation regardless of experience, and excludes the self-employed. | Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National |
| Wage percentiles (10th, 25th, 75th, 90th) | The wage below which that percent of workers fall. ConnectPrep never relabels these as starting salaries. | Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National |
| Mean (average) wage | Total wages divided by employment. Shown only where BLS publishes it and always labeled as a mean. | Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National |
| Projected employment change, 2025 to 2035 | Official BLS Employment Projections for the 2025 to 2035 decade. Shown as published; ConnectPrep does not create its own labor market forecasts. | Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025 |
| Occupational openings | Average annual openings projected by BLS, including growth and replacement needs from workers who retire or change occupations. | Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025 |
| Typical entry education, experience, training | The category BLS assigns as typically needed to enter and become competent in the occupation. | Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025 |
| Educational attainment of workers | Share of workers age 25 and over by highest education completed, 2023-24, as published in BLS Employment Projections table 5.3. | Employment Projections, Education and training tables 5.1 to 5.4 |
| Skills, knowledge, tasks, technology | O*NET 31.0 ratings and descriptors. Importance is on a 1 to 5 scale. Where BLS aggregates occupations that O*NET splits, we use the closest O*NET occupation and say so on the page. | O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026 release) |
| Programs that lead to a career | Pairs from the official NCES and BLS CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. A pair means the program commonly prepares people for the occupation, not that every graduate enters it. | CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk |
| Net price | Average annual cost of attendance minus grants for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid (in-state for public schools). | College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data |
| Completion rate | Share of first-time, full-time students who completed within 150% of normal time. | College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data |
| Institution earnings (6, 8, 10 years after entry) | Median earnings of former students who received federal aid and are working and not enrolled, including students who did not graduate. | College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data |
| Program earnings (1, 4, 5 years after completion) | Median earnings of graduates of a specific program (field and credential) who are working and not enrolled. Small programs are suppressed for privacy. | College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data |
| Median debt | Median federal loan debt (Stafford and Grad PLUS) of program completers or institution graduates. Private loans are not included. Always a median, never called an average. | College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data |
Measurement periods for College Scorecard measures
| Measure | Cohort or period |
|---|---|
| Average net price for Title IV institutions (public institutions) (NPT4_PUB) | AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26 |
| Average cost of attendance (academic year institutions) (COSTT4_A) | AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26 |
| In-state tuition and fees (TUITIONFEE_IN) | AcadYr 2025-26, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26 |
| Completion rate for first-time, full-time students at four-year institutions (150% of expected time to completion) (C150_4) | Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26 |
| The median debt for students who have completed (GRAD_DEBT_MDN) | NSLDS FY2024, FY2025 pooled cohorts |
| Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled 1 year after completing (MD_EARN_WNE_1YR) | Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars |
| Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled 4 years after completing (MD_EARN_WNE_4YR) | Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars |
| Median earnings of students working and not enrolled 10 years after entry (MD_EARN_WNE_P10) | Treasury AY2011-12, AY2012-13 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars |
| Admission rate (ADM_RATE) | Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 |
| (EARN_MDN_1YR) | Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars |
| (EARN_MDN_4YR) | Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars |
| (DEBT_ALL_STGP_ANY_MDN) | NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort |
| (IPEDSCOUNT2) | AY2023-24 reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 |
Rules we never break
- Occupational wages are never presented as graduate starting salaries or as the outcomes of a specific school or program.
- Medians are called medians. Means are called means.
- No tuition, debt, salary, placement, or licensing figure is invented. If no reliable figure exists, the page says so.
- Program to career links come only from the official crosswalk, and pages say that graduates do not all enter those careers.
- Projections are BLS projections. Anything modeled by ConnectPrep is labeled as a scenario.
- School and credential names and logos appear only for identification. ConnectPrep is not affiliated with institutions, regulators, or credentialing bodies unless stated.
Education ROI model
The calculator compares two pathways year by year over a horizon you choose. Costs are tuition and fees plus any extra living costs, minus grants, rising each year by your tuition growth rate. Borrowed amounts carry the federal origination fee and accrue simple interest during study, then amortize over a fixed term at the fixed rate. Each year's net cash flow is pre-tax earnings minus out-of-pocket costs and loan payments. The break-even year is when the education pathway's cumulative net first catches the alternative and stays ahead. Present value discounts each year at your rate. Scenarios vary starting earnings (from official wage percentiles when an occupation is chosen) and growth; sensitivity varies one input at a time. Not modeled: taxes, income-driven repayment, forgiveness, employer tuition benefits, and investment returns. Federal loan terms are from Federal Student Aid for 2026-27.
Indexing policy
To avoid thin pages, only records with complete official data, or records approved by an editor, are offered to search engines. Other records remain available to visitors but carry a noindex tag.
Data refresh
- Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025: published August 27, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- Employment Projections, Education and training tables 5.1 to 5.4: published August 27, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National: published April 30, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, State: published April 30, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Metropolitan areas: published April 30, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026 release): published August 25, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data: published October 15, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data: published October 15, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk: published April 30, 2020, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- Federal Direct Loan interest rates, fees and limits (2026-27): published June 4, 2026, retrieved October 18, 2026.
See the source directory for file checksums, automated validation results, and how to request a correction.
Disclaimer
Educational information only, not financial, legal, or admissions advice, and not a guarantee of any individual outcome. ConnectPrep offers paid advising services, which are promoted on these pages; our data and rankings are not influenced by any institution or credential provider.