ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at Lane Community College

OR · 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 Lane Community College earn a median salary of $30,205 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OR, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $26,426. The degree typically pays for itself in 60.3 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

$25,009

Typical Career

$30,205

Top Performers

$37,592

Estimated break-even: 60.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$201

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,517. Most students can comfortably afford about a $201 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Oregon buys what costs $1.14 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 31.2%
Retail Trade 8.2%
Educational Services 7.4%

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

$26,426

Nominal: $30,205 in Oregon (COL 114.3% of national avg) · 12.5% 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).

60.3 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 $19,955 $25,593 $31,750
5 Years After Graduation $25,009 $30,205 $37,592
10 Years After Graduation $31,317 $43,047 $54,615

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 $30,205 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OR, which has a cost-of-living index of 114.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $30,205 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1430) = $26,426 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 Lane Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,593, which rises to $30,205 after five years and reaches $43,047 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of approximately $26,426.07, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for growth in real income over the years.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 45.9% working in this field one year after graduation. This trend continues, as 31.2% and 28.8% remain in similar roles after five and ten years, respectively. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 60.3 years, suggesting that while there is a steady career trajectory, the return on investment may take considerable time to realize. This indicates a need for prospective students to weigh their long-term career goals against the time and financial commitments of their education.

Compare with Another School

See how the Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree at Lane Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.