ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

IL · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 19.07

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn a median salary of $57,658 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $62,808. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.4 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$43,200

Typical Career

$57,658

Top Performers

$75,984

Estimated break-even: 9.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$384

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,805. Most students can comfortably afford about a $384 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 24.2%
Educational Services 13.6%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.8%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$62,808

Nominal: $57,658 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

9.4 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $25,161 $34,502 $43,620
5 Years After Graduation $43,200 $57,658 $75,984
10 Years After Graduation $55,796 $72,585 $99,610

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $57,658 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $57,658 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $62,808 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experience a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $34,502, which increases to $57,658 five years post-graduation and reaches $72,585 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $62,808.28 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive earning potential relative to their peers across the country.

The top industries for graduates include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (24.2%), Educational Services (13.6%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (10.8%). With an estimated break-even point of about 9.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree appears favorable. This suggests that pursuing a degree in this field can lead to substantial long-term financial benefits, particularly in sectors that value the skills developed through this program.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

Explore More