ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at Moberly Area Community College

MO · 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 Moberly Area Community College earn a median salary of $28,680 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MO, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $32,152. 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

$23,338

Typical Career

$28,680

Top Performers

$35,145

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

Debt-to-Income Check

$191

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,390. Most students can comfortably afford about a $191 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Missouri buys what costs $0.89 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 23.3%
Educational Services 15.4%
Retail Trade 10.0%

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

$32,152

Nominal: $28,680 in Missouri (COL 89.2% of national avg) · 12.1% 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 $20,761 $25,735 $30,600
5 Years After Graduation $23,338 $28,680 $35,145
10 Years After Graduation $25,157 $36,412 $46,298

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 $28,680 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MO, which has a cost-of-living index of 89.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $28,680 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8920) = $32,152 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 Moberly Area Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,735, which rises to $28,680 after five years and reaches $36,412 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $32,152.47, reflecting the cost of living in Missouri, which has a COL index of 0.892 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries for graduates are Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 40.2% of employment, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 23.3%, and Public Administration at 15.9%. While these sectors offer stable employment opportunities, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years. This extended timeframe suggests that while there is potential for growth in earnings, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize, warranting careful consideration for prospective students.

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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.