ROI Major

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services at Moraine Valley Community College

IL · 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 Moraine Valley Community College earn a median salary of $30,600 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $33,333. 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

$22,712

Typical Career

$30,600

Top Performers

$36,009

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

Debt-to-Income Check

$204

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,550. Most students can comfortably afford about a $204 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 Illinois buys what costs $0.92 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 27.8%
Educational Services 11.7%
Retail Trade 8.6%

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

$33,333

Nominal: $30,600 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% 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 $21,908 $26,530 $34,351
5 Years After Graduation $22,712 $30,600 $36,009
10 Years After Graduation $23,895 $29,704 $36,215

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 $30,600 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $30,600 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $33,333 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services program at Moraine Valley Community College can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $26,530, which rises to $30,600 after five years. However, by the ten-year mark, median earnings slightly decrease to $29,704. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $33,333.33, indicating that while initial earnings are modest, graduates may find their purchasing power relatively stable compared to national averages.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, accounting for 31.8%, 31.1%, and 27.8% of employment opportunities. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program's training and the needs of the job market. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating that while the career path can be rewarding, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. Overall, students should weigh the long-term benefits against the initial financial commitment.

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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.