Chico State Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
- Public university
- Chico, CA
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Chico State human development and family studies graduates earn less than graduates of most human development and family studies programs nationally, $30,441 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,361 in federal loans, less than at 85% of human development and family studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $31,904.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all human development and family studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Chico State graduates earn about the national figure but about $4,670 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every California human development and family studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 52% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $1,102 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $195 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
88% of graduates (89 of 101) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Chico area are about 1% above the national average, so a $30,441 salary here buys what about $30,081 buys in a typical US city.
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 all experience levels.
Childcare Workers
$40,020Median pay in California. 52,780 people work in this job in California. 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.
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
$47,400Median pay in California. 55,700 people work in this job in California. 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.
Social and Human Service Assistants
$51,090Median pay in California. 58,730 people work in this job in California. 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.
Farm and Home Management Educators
$98,770Median pay in California. 40 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Chico State
Human Development and Family Studies ranks 37th of 51 bachelor's programs at Chico State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($113,181), Construction Management ($89,075), and Construction Engineering Technology ($88,648).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $30,441 one year after graduating and $46,310 five years after. The median across human development and family studies bachelor's programs in California is $31,904.
The median federal loan balance is $18,361, which ranks 10th lowest of 14 human development and family studies bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $195 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay.
Most do. 88% (89 of 101) were working in California one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the human development and family studies program.
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
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024