Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General graduates earn a median $48,460 four years after finishing — $100/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 676.2 years. Federal data pools 100 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 2,299 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General ranks #178 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 12% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SUNY Oneonta | NY | $60,550 |
| 2 | San Francisco State University | CA | $58,530 |
| 3 | The University of Alabama | AL | $57,205 |
| 4 | Texas Tech University | TX | $56,117 |
| 5 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | $55,830 |
| 6 | California State University-Northridge | CA | $55,327 |
| 7 | Western Illinois University | IL | $54,059 |
| 8 | Montana State University | MT | $52,702 |
| 9 | Montclair State University | NJ | $52,511 |
| 10 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | MN | $52,041 |
| 11 | Illinois State University | IL | $51,806 |
| 12 | Iowa State University | IA | $51,531 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.