ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College

VA · 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 J Sargeant Reynolds Community College earn a median salary of $33,813 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in VA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $32,988. 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

$26,843

Typical Career

$33,813

Top Performers

$39,780

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

Debt-to-Income Check

$225

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,818. Most students can comfortably afford about a $225 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 Virginia buys what costs $1.03 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 33.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.4%
Retail Trade 7.8%

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

$32,988

Nominal: $33,813 in Virginia (COL 102.5% of national avg) · 2.4% lower 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 $23,276 $27,908 $35,244
5 Years After Graduation $26,843 $33,813 $39,780
10 Years After Graduation $28,680 $38,279 $50,636

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 $33,813 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in VA, which has a cost-of-living index of 102.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $33,813 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0250) = $32,988 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 J Sargeant Reynolds Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $27,908, which rises to $33,813 after five years and reaches $38,279 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $32,988.29, reflecting the cost of living in Virginia, which has a COL index of 1.025 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 42.9% employed in this field one year post-graduation, and similar percentages observed at five and ten years. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating a longer return on investment for those pursuing this degree. This suggests that while there are opportunities in a growing industry, the financial benefits may take time to materialize.

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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.