Ground Transportation at Lewis and Clark Community College

Lewis and Clark Community College's Ground Transportation certificate faces stiff competition in Illinois, where similar programs suggest earnings around $36,200 in the first year—well below what graduates from Elgin Community College ($51,945) or Lincoln Land Community College ($49,142) typically see. Nationally, the median first-year earnings for this credential run about $41,400, suggesting that Illinois ground transportation programs generally lag behind their counterparts elsewhere.

The estimated debt load of $5,500 is manageable relative to those first-year earnings, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.15. That's better than the Illinois median debt of roughly $5,900 and considerably lower than the national median of $7,700 for ground transportation programs. If these estimates hold true, graduates would be looking at debt payments that consume only a modest portion of their income.

The real question is whether Lewis and Clark's program delivers outcomes closer to the top-performing Illinois schools or the bottom. With actual graduate data suppressed due to small sample sizes, there's no way to know if this program punches above or below the state's $36,200 midpoint. For parents, that uncertainty matters: the difference between a strong outcome ($50,000) and a weak one ($24,000) is more than a paycheck—it's the difference between a solid start and years of financial strain. Until this program produces enough graduates to generate reportable outcomes, you're placing a bet on where it falls within that wide range.