Data Brief Utah Opportunity Chain · Part 3 of 9 Output

Early-Career Earnings by Utah Pathway Type

Median earnings six years after entry, grouped by pathway type across Utah institutions in the College Scorecard.

Pathways and Outcomes6 min readUtah · Earnings · ROI

Key finding

USHE four-year institutions median $46K six years after starting — but private nonprofit reaches $53K, and technical and community pathways overlap at $38K and $38K. Pathway labels hide program-level spread.

Families often treat a four-year degree as the earnings ceiling. In Utah's College Scorecard extract, USHE four-year institutions median $46K six years after entry — but private nonprofit medians reach $53K, and technical colleges overlap community colleges at $38K vs. $38K. Pathway labels hide wide program-level spread.

The assumption we tested

Assumption: A bachelor's degree always delivers the highest early-career pay among Utah pathways.
Question: How do median earnings six years after entry compare across Utah pathway types?
Evidence: College Scorecard MD_EARN_WNE_P6 · 63 Utah institutions
Finding: The evidence suggests USHE four-year pathways lead public medians ($46K), with technical and community pathways overlapping and for-profit medians near community college ($25K).
Limits: Institution medians, not program-level; employed graduates only; earnings alone do not measure affordability.

The analytical lens

This part compares pathway medians — USHE four-year, community, technical, for-profit, private — using the same six-year earnings field across institutions.
Pathway labels hide program spread. Two majors at the same school can report very different pay on school profiles.
Earnings alone do not measure affordability. Part 5 (net price) and Part 8 (debt) use separate Scorecard fields.

At a glance

USHE four-year institutions median $46K earnings six years after entry.
Technical college median: $38K, overlapping community college ($38K) on this metric.
Pathway medians mask program variation; field-of-study tables are on individual Utah school profiles.

The chart below compares USHE four-year, community college, technical college, for-profit, and private nonprofit medians using the same earnings field¹ across the Utah Opportunity Chain.

Where this fits

Six-year earnings (MD_EARN_WNE_P6) are an output metric. USHE four-year institutions median $46K; USHE technical colleges median $38K, overlapping community college at $38K.

The same pathway groups report median low-income net price in Part 5 (USHE technical $3K, for-profit $19K) and median debt in Part 8. Earnings alone do not describe affordability.

Median earnings by pathway type

Six years after starting · Utah College Scorecard

$46K

Four-year

$53K

Private

$38K

Technical

$38K

Community

$25K

For-profit

Source: College Scorecard · Utah 63 institutions

Among public colleges, USHE four-year pathways report the highest median earnings six years after starting in this lens.

What stood out

USHE four-year medians lead public pathways at $46K; private nonprofit reaches $53K.
Technical and community pathways overlap at $38K and $38K — similar pay, different net price in Part 5.
For-profit medians ($25K) trail USHE four-year by about $21K on this field.

Key takeaway: Pathway medians are a starting point, not a major-level answer. The spread within one campus often exceeds the spread between pathway labels.

Technical note: MD_EARN_WNE_P6 institution medians for federal aid recipients. Field-of-study pay is on school profiles and the Program ROI brief.

What this means

USHE four-year medians lead public pathways at $46K; private nonprofit medians are $53K. Technical and community pathways overlap at $38K and $38K. Part 5 reports median low-income net price for the same groups; Part 8 reports median debt. These are separate Scorecard fields — we do not infer ROI or causation from earnings alone.

What this means for you

Find yourself below. Each bullet turns this report's evidence into a practical next step — not a prescription.

Students Compare majors at schools on your short list — pay and debt can differ a lot within the same campus.
Families Use pathway medians as a starting point, then compare majors on Utah school profiles — two programs at the same institution can report very different pay.
School counselors Pair these earnings medians with Part 5 net price (USHE technical $3K vs. for-profit $19K) and Part 8 debt ratios before recommending a pathway.
Policymakers Sector medians mask institutional spread; for-profit and certificate aggregates in Part 2 report $25K blended earnings vs. $46K for USHE four-year on the same field.