Business Administration, Management and Operations at Lemoore College

Lemoore College's business associate degree shows better-than-expected performance for California, landing at the 60th percentile statewide—outpacing the state's median of $29,222 by over $10,000 at the four-year mark. That's significant context for a program that costs just $9,800, roughly 25% less than the national typical debt load for this degree. The 27% earnings bump from year one to year four suggests graduates find traction in the local job market, even if they're not reaching the heights of coastal community colleges like Mendocino or San Bernardino Valley.

The caution here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates means one person's unusual outcome can skew the numbers considerably. Still, the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.32 is manageable, and for students planning to stay in California's Central Valley where living costs are lower than the state's expensive urban centers, these earnings go further than the raw numbers suggest. The program serves a substantial population of Pell-eligible students (38%), indicating it's fulfilling an access mission without saddling graduates with crushing debt.

For families considering this program, the real question is opportunity cost. If your student can access one of California's higher-performing business programs nearby, that gap from $39,120 to $45,000+ matters. But if Lemoore is the practical local option, the combination of low debt and solid state-level performance makes it a defensible choice—just recognize you're working with limited data.