WhatGradsMake
Associate+38% vs national median217 grads tracked

Fire Protection at College of Lake County

Ranked 12th of 101 associate programs in Fire Protection by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$64,005
middle 50%: $33,617 – $128,489
Median · 5 years out
$112,340
middle 50%: $65,669 – $146,158
Median · 10 years out
$130,310
middle 50%: $93,789 – $156,627

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for Fire Protection (associate) graduates.

This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates

Graduates of College of Lake County's associate program in Fire Protection earn a median $64,005 one year after graduating, rising to $130,310 by year ten. Five years out, earnings run 38% above the national median of $81,295 for this field, ranking 12th of 101 reporting programs.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.

Will the degree pay for itself?

Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.

Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).

Paid off in
4.2 yrs
≈ $4,753 total interest

Same major at other universities

Moraine Valley Community College
$122,364 · 5 yrs out
Prairie State College
$121,802 · 5 yrs out
North Shore Community College
$119,874 · 5 yrs out
Saint Louis Community College
$114,831 · 5 yrs out
McHenry County College
$114,157 · 5 yrs out
Collin County Community College District
$112,807 · 5 yrs out
Tarrant County College District
$110,938 · 5 yrs out
Community College of Aurora
$109,070 · 5 yrs out
Lone Star College System
$108,135 · 5 yrs out
San Antonio College
$107,726 · 5 yrs out
Weatherford College
$107,201 · 5 yrs out
University of Cincinnati
$104,398 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at College of Lake County

Accounting and Related Services (Certificate)
$95,590 · 5 yrs out
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$86,717 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Certificate)
$86,086 · 5 yrs out
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Certificate)
$85,430 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$80,647 · 5 yrs out
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$78,110 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$76,582 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$76,015 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Associate)
$74,878 · 5 yrs out
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Associate)
$74,872 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$74,872 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$74,301 · 5 yrs out

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