Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services graduates earn a median $48,568 four years after finishing — $208/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 325.1 years. Federal data pools 279 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 11,600 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services ranks #176 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 13% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell University | NY | $73,066 |
| 2 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | $71,638 |
| 3 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | $65,136 |
| 4 | Florida State University | FL | $62,663 |
| 5 | Binghamton University | NY | $62,506 |
| 6 | George Mason University | VA | $61,565 |
| 7 | University of California-San Diego | CA | $61,262 |
| 8 | University of Georgia | GA | $59,664 |
| 9 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | $59,166 |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | $59,044 |
| 11 | Washington State University | WA | $58,834 |
| 12 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | $58,340 |
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.