ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at Cincinnati State Technical & Community College

OH · 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 Cincinnati State Technical & Community College earn a median salary of $33,291 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $36,949. 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

$25,361

Typical Career

$33,291

Top Performers

$43,093

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

Debt-to-Income Check

$222

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,774. Most students can comfortably afford about a $222 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.1%
Manufacturing 9.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 7.9%

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

$36,949

Nominal: $33,291 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% 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 $22,625 $27,895 $34,579
5 Years After Graduation $25,361 $33,291 $43,093
10 Years After Graduation $27,484 $37,880 $50,539

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 $33,291 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $33,291 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $36,949 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 Cincinnati State Technical & Community College can expect a median earning of $24,733 one year post-graduation, which increases to $35,207 after five years. However, by the ten-year mark, median earnings decrease to $31,905. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $39,075.47, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial outlook may vary significantly based on location and economic conditions.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 49.7% in this field within the first year, followed by 30.1% and 23.9% in subsequent years. Given the estimated break-even point of more than ten years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree may take considerable time to materialize. Students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their career trajectory in this field.

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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.