ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at Wharton County Junior College

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 19.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree from Wharton County Junior College earn a median salary of $36,110 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $39,207. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$27,394

Typical Career

$36,110

Top Performers

$53,485

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$241

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,009. Most students can comfortably afford about a $241 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 32.9%
Educational Services 12.6%
Manufacturing 8.8%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$39,207

Nominal: $36,110 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $23,578 $28,199 $34,840
5 Years After Graduation $27,394 $36,110 $53,485
10 Years After Graduation $27,370 $36,903 $58,363

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 $36,110 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $36,110 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $39,207 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services program at Wharton County Junior College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $23,597, which rises to $30,437 five years post-graduation. However, it is noteworthy that earnings plateau at the ten-year mark, remaining at $30,437. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $33,047.77 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the value of those earnings can vary based on location and economic conditions.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for a significant portion of employment opportunities (32.9% and 25.2% respectively), followed by Public Administration at 20.6%. Despite these opportunities, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, suggesting that the return on investment may be slower than anticipated. This extended timeline for financial recovery highlights the importance of considering long-term career goals and potential job market fluctuations when evaluating this educational path.

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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.