Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at North Iowa Area Community College

North Iowa Area Community College's Liberal Arts program sits in an awkward middle position—earning slightly more than the national average but trailing most Iowa community colleges. At $27,433 in first-year earnings, graduates start below the state median of $28,291 and rank in just the 40th percentile among Iowa programs. More concerning: they're earning $4,500 less than peers at Iowa Lakes or Western Iowa Tech, and even lag behind larger schools like Des Moines Area and Kirkwood.

The positives here are the relatively manageable debt load ($9,335, below both state and national averages) and strong 35% earnings growth by year four. That growth trajectory pushes four-year earnings to $37,072, which helps close the gap with better-performing Iowa programs. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 is reasonable for an associate's degree.

For families considering this route, understand that you're accepting below-average starting earnings among Iowa's community colleges in exchange for lower debt. If your child plans to transfer to a four-year program or needs the geographic convenience of Mason City, this works as an affordable stepping stone. But if they're treating this as a terminal degree and staying in Iowa, other community colleges deliver better immediate earning potential without significantly more debt.