Highest-Paying Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

Q: Which state pays human development and family studies bachelor's graduates the most?

New York, where the median program pays its graduates $36,178 in their first year, the highest of 10 state rankings. Michigan is next, at $35,216.

Q: Which human development and family studies bachelor's program pays the most?

National Louis University in Illinois reports the highest first-year pay of the 142 programs ranked here, $46,954. Its median federal debt is $28,096.

143 programs report first-year pay
10 state rankings
Bachelor's in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median human development and family studies bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $33,543 in their first year and $45,741 five years after. New York has the highest state median ($36,178), and Utah the lowest ($26,561). The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$33,543Across 143 programs

Median pay after 5 years$45,741Across 132 programs

Median federal debt$25,000Across 151 programs

Debt-to-earnings73%Across 141 programs

All 142 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	National Louis UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$46,954	$46,974	$41,543	$28,096	60%
2	Warner Pacific UniversityPortland, OR · private nonprofit	$45,523	$44,043	$43,560	$39,697	87%
3	George MasonFairfax, VA · public	$45,140	$44,647	Not reported	$24,300	54%
4	University of the District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · public	$44,819	$40,781	$57,220	$43,500	97%
5	Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	$44,345	Not adjusted	$61,338	$16,170	36%
6	Walden UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private for-profit	$43,693	Not adjusted	$42,028	$53,461	122%
7	North Dakota StateFargo, ND · public	$41,717	$46,895	$45,968	$26,569	64%
8	Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · private nonprofit	$41,609	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
9	Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	$41,243	$46,951	$48,102	$23,858	58%
10	Cal State East BayHayward, CA · public	$41,195	$37,206	$62,078	$18,000	44%
11	University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	$41,157	$39,212	$56,321	$19,533	47%
12	Southern Nazarene UniversityBethany, OK · private nonprofit	$41,062	$46,745	$44,355	$38,563	94%
13	Concordia University-Saint PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$40,593	$41,161	$40,011	$30,583	75%
14	UNC CharlotteCharlotte, NC · public	$39,924	$42,326	$43,319	$26,000	65%
15	Washington StatePullman, WA · public	$39,880	$37,267	$48,017	$24,019	60%
16	York College of PennsylvaniaYork, PA · private nonprofit	$39,158	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,920	69%
17	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$39,096	$40,281	$51,726	$23,250	59%
18	Pacific Oaks CollegePasadena, CA · private nonprofit	$39,077	$35,294	$50,248	$27,715	71%
19	Ohio UniversityAthens, OH · public	$38,973	$42,009	$46,446	$27,000	69%
20	Lesley UniversityCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	$38,516	Not adjusted	Not reported	$21,250	55%
21	Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	$38,401	$35,583	$74,602	$15,500	40%
22	University of HoustonHouston, TX · public	$37,964	$39,115	$47,975	$22,450	59%
23	NC A&TGreensboro, NC · public	$37,458	$39,711	$42,681	$31,000	83%
24	Spring Arbor UniversitySpring Arbor, MI · private nonprofit	$37,401	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,000	70%
25	South Dakota StateBrookings, SD · public	$37,123	$41,906	$48,955	$24,500	66%
26	UW-StoutMenomonie, WI · public	$37,050	$39,375	$45,358	$27,000	73%
27	University of Arizona Global CampusChandler, AZ · public	$36,944	Not adjusted	$37,621	$36,000	97%
28	Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	$36,858	Not adjusted	$51,299	$22,981	62%
29	UICChicago, IL · public	$36,743	$36,758	Not reported	$17,500	48%
30	Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	$36,494	$37,929	$41,143	$43,076	118%
31	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$36,445	$36,200	$47,311	$20,400	56%
32	Iowa StateAmes, IA · public	$36,364	$41,435	$45,407	$24,958	69%
33	Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	$36,214	$35,141	$48,432	$23,000	64%
34	Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	$36,213	$33,555	$55,183	$19,500	54%
35	SUNY OneontaOneonta, NY · public	$36,143	$33,490	$50,885	$23,250	64%
36	UH ManoaHonolulu, HI · public	$36,040	$32,778	Not reported	$18,250	51%
37	Indiana StateTerre Haute, IN · public	$35,941	$38,510	$42,721	$27,000	75%
38	Weber StateOgden, UT · public	$35,861	$36,273	$37,526	$18,792	52%
39	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$35,759	$34,578	$50,041	$17,296	48%
40	University of Central OklahomaEdmond, OK · public	$35,491	$40,403	$43,118	$27,500	77%
41	University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	$35,467	$35,875	$46,872	$15,500	44%
42	PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	$35,436	$37,969	$48,608	$15,304	43%
43	University of Nevada-RenoReno, NV · public	$35,322	$35,329	$49,802	$21,875	62%
44	Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI · public	$35,318	$36,707	$46,739	$27,209	77%
45	CU DenverDenver, CO · public	$35,234	$34,191	Not reported	$25,000	71%
46	Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	$35,216	$36,601	$35,302	$25,769	73%
47	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$35,209	$36,593	$42,827	$29,539	84%
48	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$35,047	$36,110	$47,829	$22,295	64%
49	SUNY PlattsburghPlattsburgh, NY · public	$35,025	$32,454	$54,471	$25,420	73%
50	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$34,610	$37,306	$52,826	$23,250	67%
51	UVACharlottesville, VA · public	$34,533	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,500	56%
52	UNTDenton, TX · public	$34,499	$35,545	$44,287	$19,500	57%
53	American Public University SystemCharles Town, WV · private for-profit	$34,347	Not adjusted	$42,229	$36,275	106%
54	University of IdahoMoscow, ID · public	$34,340	$35,960	$37,261	$27,701	81%
55	Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · private nonprofit	$34,273	$32,654	$52,846	$27,000	79%
56	Bowie StateBowie, MD · public	$34,257	$32,638	$52,375	$26,125	76%
57	Kansas StateManhattan, KS · public	$34,241	$38,017	$44,784	$25,000	73%
58	University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	$34,205	$33,443	$47,043	$25,000	73%
59	UW-MadisonMadison, WI · public	$34,149	$36,292	$55,416	$21,250	62%
60	Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	$34,109	$31,349	Not reported	$25,250	74%
61	Cal State Monterey BaySeaside, CA · public	$34,089	$30,788	Not reported	$12,408	36%
62	Penn StateUniversity Park, PA · public	$34,030	$34,877	$44,563	$28,000	82%
63	Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	$33,911	$35,244	Not reported	$33,885	100%
64	Sonoma StateRohnert Park, CA · public	$33,906	$30,623	$57,628	$18,250	54%
65	UNC GreensboroGreensboro, NC · public	$33,878	$35,916	$41,600	$26,000	77%
66	Southern University at New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · public	$33,687	$38,191	Not reported	$56,000	166%
67	Illinois StateNormal, IL · public	$33,682	$33,696	Not reported	$23,125	69%
68	Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA · public	$33,654	$33,287	$56,451	$21,500	64%
69	Kent StateKent, OH · public	$33,643	$36,263	$40,893	$26,913	80%
70	Merrimack CollegeNorth Andover, MA · private nonprofit	$33,640	$31,809	$53,557	$27,000	80%
71	Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	$33,543	$32,452	$49,012	$26,000	78%
72	UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · public	$33,489	$30,247	$63,343	$19,342	58%
73	East Tennessee StateJohnson City, TN · public	$33,301	$36,248	$40,594	$20,032	60%
74	UT AustinAustin, TX · public	$33,118	$34,122	$62,473	$21,500	65%
75	University of MissouriColumbia, MO · public	$33,015	$36,353	$46,516	$26,000	79%
76	Southeastern Oklahoma StateDurant, OK · public	$32,997	$37,564	Not reported	$18,000	55%
77	Fresno Pacific UniversityFresno, CA · private nonprofit	$32,957	$29,766	$43,775	$24,549	74%
78	Messiah UniversityMechanicsburg, PA · private nonprofit	$32,943	Not adjusted	$37,003	$27,000	82%
79	Ball StateMuncie, IN · public	$32,836	$35,183	Not reported	$27,000	82%
80	Missouri StateSpringfield, MO · public	$32,769	$36,082	$37,512	$25,000	76%
81	University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA · public	$32,614	$37,162	$43,850	$23,000	71%
82	Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and SciencesFayette, MO · private nonprofit	$32,588	$35,883	$40,639	$23,246	71%
83	University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO · public	$32,574	$35,868	$35,603	$24,500	75%
84	Portland StatePortland, OR · public	$32,481	$31,425	$49,354	$23,334	72%
85	WVUMorgantown, WV · public	$32,306	$36,097	$48,978	$25,242	78%
86	University of TennesseeKnoxville, TN · public	$32,300	$35,158	$41,713	$22,790	71%
87	Bowling Green StateBowling Green, OH · public	$32,175	$34,681	$43,751	$26,000	81%
88	University of New HampshireDurham, NH · public	$32,146	Not adjusted	$49,608	$27,000	84%
89	Baylor UniversityWaco, TX · private nonprofit	$32,137	$33,111	$49,261	$21,350	66%
90	Sacramento StateSacramento, CA · public	$31,950	$28,857	$51,711	$16,500	52%
91	Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	$31,857	$28,773	$49,529	$12,500	39%
92	University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR · public	$31,758	$36,530	$46,816	$21,500	68%
93	UConnStorrs, CT · public	$31,642	$30,540	$56,312	$23,059	73%
94	Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	$31,627	Not adjusted	$40,344	$50,610	160%
95	Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	$31,452	$32,235	Not reported	$27,000	86%
96	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$31,434	$32,670	$47,493	$29,750	95%
97	University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	$31,392	$32,601	$49,018	$23,466	75%
98	Southern Wesleyan UniversityCentral, SC · private nonprofit	$31,326	$33,415	Not reported	$39,792	127%
99	Cal State San MarcosSan Marcos, CA · public	$31,184	$28,165	$49,769	$17,193	55%
100	Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA · private nonprofit	$31,083	Not adjusted	$37,389	$23,250	75%
101	University of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, MS · public	$31,020	$35,674	$41,738	$32,062	103%
102	University of MaineOrono, ME · public	$30,983	$31,925	$38,939	$26,000	84%
103	University of AkronAkron, OH · public	$30,835	$33,237	$37,280	$31,000	101%
104	Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA · public	$30,675	$31,438	$39,173	$26,817	87%
105	Texas Woman's UniversityDenton, TX · public	$30,619	$31,547	$49,277	$24,170	79%
106	Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL · public	$30,502	Not adjusted	$44,084	$25,000	82%
107	Chico StateChico, CA · public	$30,441	$27,494	$46,310	$18,361	60%
108	Abilene Christian UniversityAbilene, TX · private nonprofit	$30,278	Not adjusted	$43,121	$26,000	86%
109	University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL · public	$30,264	$34,072	$44,281	$25,000	83%
110	Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	$30,205	$27,281	$52,033	$15,000	50%
111	Appalachian StateBoone, NC · public	$30,062	$31,870	$44,147	$18,935	63%
112	UIUCChampaign, IL · public	$29,762	$29,775	$64,921	$19,600	66%
113	Florida StateTallahassee, FL · public	$29,690	$28,710	$53,416	$20,000	67%
114	East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC · public	$29,607	$31,388	$39,782	$27,000	91%
115	LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	$29,539	$33,488	Not reported	$26,750	91%
116	Curry CollegeMilton, MA · private nonprofit	$29,532	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
117	Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboro, GA · public	$29,387	$30,518	$39,142	$30,500	104%
118	UL LafayetteLafayette, LA · public	$29,094	$32,984	$37,104	$28,250	97%
119	Eastern Washington UniversityCheney, WA · public	$28,589	$26,715	$43,946	$19,936	70%
120	Mount Saint Mary's UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	$28,453	$25,698	$52,285	$26,500	93%
121	Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, IL · public	$28,342	$28,354	$45,830	$31,000	109%
122	CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	$28,150	$25,424	$46,221	$11,250	40%
123	Texas A&M-KingsvilleKingsville, TX · public	$27,918	$28,765	Not reported	$31,971	115%
124	Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY · public	$27,514	$30,517	$41,462	$28,964	105%
125	Northwestern State University of LouisianaNatchitoches, LA · public	$27,373	$31,033	Not reported	$31,000	113%
126	Point Loma Nazarene UniversitySan Diego, CA · private nonprofit	$27,037	$24,419	$55,127	$16,300	60%
127	Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA · public	$27,006	$25,236	Not reported	$21,000	78%
128	UTRGVEdinburg, TX · public	$26,897	$27,713	Not reported	$20,871	78%
129	Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LA · public	$26,591	$30,146	Not reported	$21,500	81%
130	Utah StateLogan, UT · public	$26,561	$26,866	$33,968	$16,573	62%
131	Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public	$26,384	$28,270	$37,197	$26,649	101%
132	New Mexico StateLas Cruces, NM · public	$25,965	$28,158	$36,859	$20,938	81%
133	Point UniversityWest Point, GA · private nonprofit	$25,578	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,000	102%
134	BYUProvo, UT · private nonprofit	$25,342	$25,633	$30,899	$11,250	44%
135	University of VermontBurlington, VT · public	$25,249	Not adjusted	Not reported	$19,250	76%
136	John Brown UniversitySiloam Springs, AR · private nonprofit	$24,935	$28,682	$41,801	$23,625	95%
137	Grambling StateGrambling, LA · public	$23,073	Not adjusted	Not reported	$53,588	232%
138	St. Joseph's University-New YorkBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	$21,796	$20,196	Not reported	$27,000	124%
139	BYU-IdahoRexburg, ID · private nonprofit	$21,619	Not adjusted	$24,381	$12,250	57%
140	Benedict CollegeColumbia, SC · private nonprofit	$21,607	Not adjusted	Not reported	$32,000	148%
141	Mississippi StateMississippi State, MS · public	$21,243	$24,430	Not reported	$27,500	129%
142	Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT · public	$20,971	$21,212	Not reported	$13,500	64%

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 120 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 22, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

2 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked. One more program reports pay but isn't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name its school. The national medians above still count them.

Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's human development and family studies bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	New York	6	$36,178	$23,116
2	Michigan	7	$35,216	$29,539
3	North Carolina	5	$33,878	$26,000
4	Illinois	5	$33,682	$23,125
5	Ohio	5	$33,643	$26,913
6	Pennsylvania	5	$32,943	$27,000
7	Texas	10	$32,628	$22,373
8	California	14	$31,904	$18,250
9	Louisiana	6	$28,234	$29,625
10	Utah	5	$26,561	$15,500

Programs in 36 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

CSUN, CA$11,250
BYU, UT$11,250
Cal State Monterey Bay, CA$12,408
Cal State Fullerton, CA$12,500
Utah Valley University, UT$13,500
Cal State Long Beach, CA$15,000
Cornell University, NY$15,500
University of Utah, UT$15,500
Point Loma Nazarene University, CA$16,300
Sacramento State, CA$16,500

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 68 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to human development and family studies, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Childcare Workers

$34,980

Median pay in the US. 518,910 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 150,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $24,260Top 10%: $46,010

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$38,140

Median pay in the US. 478,780 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $28,990Top 10%: $61,390

Social and Human Service Assistants

$45,930

Median pay in the US. 437,860 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $34,200Top 10%: $63,290

Farm and Home Management Educators

$60,220

Median pay in the US. 8,220 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $37,650Top 10%: $85,060

Common questions

The median human development and family studies bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $33,543 in their first year and $45,741 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024