Human Development & Family Studies — Salary, ROI & AI-Proof Rating at 85 Schools

What Human Development & Family Studies Graduates Do

Your career path often begins on the front lines, either in a bustling community center or a vibrant preschool classroom. You’ll work directly with people, helping a family navigate social service applications on a computer one moment, then guiding children through a creative learning activity with art supplies the next. The work is hands-on, focused on providing direct support and guidance.

Many start in assistant or childcare roles. With experience, you can advance to become a case manager, lead preschool teacher, or a community outreach specialist, seeing a significant jump in earnings. The job market is growing fastest for assistants and specialists who connect people to vital community resources. Further education can unlock highly specialized, six-figure careers in psychology or social science research.

While AI tools may help with administrative tasks like scheduling or identifying resources, they can't replace the core of your job. The hands-on work of building trust, counseling individuals, and managing complex human dynamics will remain firmly in your hands.

Registered Apprenticeship Pathways

The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes 3 registered apprenticeship occupations related to Human Development & Family Studies. Apprenticeships let you earn while you learn — most have zero tuition costs and pay wages from day one.

Apprenticeship	Training Hours	Type	Salary RangeSalary	Growth
Child Care Development Specialist RAPIDS 840	4000 hrs ~2.0 yrs	Time	$28K – $32,050 – $37K	-2.9%
Direct Support Specialist (Alternate Title: Assistant Case Manager) RAPIDS 1040CB	Competency	Competency	$38K – $45,120 – $53K	6.4%
Peer Specialist (Bureau Of Prisons Only) RAPIDS 2039	2000 hrs ~1.0 yrs	Time	$38K – $45,120 – $53K	6.4%

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Database (RAPIDS). Wages and job growth from Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 projections.

Best Schools for Human Development & Family Studies

Top 20 of 85 schools ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. Click any row for full earnings projections and AI-proof analysis.

#	School	Score	EarningsEarn	ROI
1	Southern Crescent Technical College Griffin, GA	76 72–77	$34,002/yr	107.8x
2	Fresno City College Fresno, CA	74 70–75	$30,519/yr	119.5x
3	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI	73 69–75	$49,671/yr	44.0x
4	Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO	73 71–75	$34,716/yr	79.6x
5	Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM	72 68–74	$31,256/yr	93.0x
6	Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA	71 67–72	$23,863/yr	201.2x
7	Cabrillo College Aptos, CA	71 67–72	$23,686/yr	185.5x
8	Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL	70 67–72	$28,328/yr	92.3x
9	Coalinga College Coalinga, CA	68 64–70	$18,810/yr	230.3x
10	City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College Chicago, IL	67 65–69	$37,381/yr	41.7x
11	Davidson-Davie Community College Thomasville, NC	67 64–69	$22,448/yr	112.5x
12	Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA	67 62–69	$15,819/yr	202.4x
13	Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL	66 64–68	$31,295/yr	53.4x
14	Lemoore College Lemoore, CA	66 63–67	$23,860/yr	85.2x
15	Tulsa Community College Tulsa, OK	65 63–66	$33,103/yr	37.5x
16	Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, OK	65 63–66	$32,967/yr	42.6x
17	Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI	65 63–67	$30,486/yr	52.6x
18	Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA	65 62–66	$21,794/yr	84.8x
19	North Shore Community College Danvers, MA	64 61–65	$34,978/yr	36.4x
20	City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Chicago, IL	64 63–66	$34,294/yr	38.1x
21	Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville, KY	63 61–65	$26,682/yr	55.7x
22	American Public University System Charles Town, WV	62 61–64	$31,857/yr	34.9x
23	Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE	62 60–64	$29,534/yr	44.4x
24	Midlands Technical College West Columbia, SC	61 58–63	$24,352/yr	56.8x
25	Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN	60 57–61	$32,055/yr	28.3x
26	City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College Chicago, IL	60 59–62	$30,292/yr	33.6x
27	Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI	60 57–61	$23,210/yr	50.3x
28	College of the Sequoias Visalia, CA	60 57–61	$18,158/yr	64.1x
29	Morton College Cicero, IL	59 57–60	$23,252/yr	46.6x
30	Carl Albert State College Poteau, OK	59 56–60	$21,625/yr	50.1x
31	Saint Louis Community College Bridgeton, MO	58 56–59	$26,593/yr	36.7x
32	Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA	58 56–59	$24,012/yr	41.1x
33	East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, CA	58 50–60	$10,032/yr	106.1x
34	Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY	57 53–59	$37,685/yr	6.0x
35	Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA	57 55–58	$28,078/yr	25.5x
36	Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO	57 55–59	$27,003/yr	33.4x
37	Hudson Valley Community College Troy, NY	56 53–57	$28,815/yr	21.2x
38	Onondaga Community College Syracuse, NY	56 53–57	$28,579/yr	22.7x
39	Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA	56 53–58	$27,768/yr	26.7x
40	York Technical College Rock Hill, SC	56 52–58	$27,011/yr	28.5x
41	Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI	56 54–57	$25,539/yr	30.5x
42	Jefferson Community College Watertown, NY	55 52–56	$27,397/yr	22.6x
43	North Central Missouri College Trenton, MO	55 53–57	$26,867/yr	26.1x
44	Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC	55 53–56	$25,772/yr	26.0x
45	Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA	55 53–56	$21,889/yr	37.3x
46	Virginia Western Community College Roanoke, VA	55 53–57	$21,057/yr	39.1x
47	Southwest Virginia Community College Cedar Bluff, VA	55 53–56	$19,582/yr	39.0x
48	Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner, MA	54 52–56	$27,078/yr	22.2x
49	Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC	54 51–56	$25,838/yr	26.6x
50	Midlands Technical College West Columbia, SC	54 52–55	$25,285/yr	24.5x
51	Carl Albert State College Poteau, OK	54 52–56	$24,517/yr	30.2x
52	H W Brewster Technical College Tampa, FL	54 51–56	$23,990/yr	—
53	Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville Nashville, TN	54 50–55	$23,070/yr	—
54	Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA	54 48–56	$21,709/yr	32.8x
55	West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah, KY	54 52–55	$18,132/yr	37.9x
56	Erie Community College Buffalo, NY	53 50–55	$25,239/yr	22.5x
57	Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA	53 48–54	$22,623/yr	27.2x
58	Harcum College Bryn Mawr, PA	52 49–54	$30,963/yr	3.9x
59	Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA	52 48–54	$23,239/yr	23.9x
60	East Central Community College Decatur, MS	52 50–54	$21,950/yr	28.3x
61	Delta College University Center, MI	52 48–54	$21,881/yr	27.7x
62	Patrick & Henry Community College Martinsville, VA	52 50–53	$16,790/yr	33.6x
63	Post University Waterbury, CT	51 48–53	$28,745/yr	8.2x
64	Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS	51 48–52	$20,069/yr	24.7x
65	Unitech Training Academy-Lafayette Lafayette, LA	51 47–53	$17,301/yr	—
66	Unitech Training Academy-Alexandria Alexandria, LA	51 47–53	$17,301/yr	—
67	Unitech Training Academy-New Orleans New Orleans, LA	51 47–53	$17,301/yr	—
68	Unitech Training Academy-Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, LA	51 47–53	$17,301/yr	—
69	Apollo Career Center Lima, OH	51 47–52	$15,987/yr	—
70	Somerset Community College Somerset, KY	51 49–52	$15,587/yr	32.5x
71	Hazard Community and Technical College Hazard, KY	51 49–52	$15,134/yr	31.5x
72	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH	50 47–51	$22,522/yr	17.2x
73	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH	50 47–51	$22,522/yr	17.2x
74	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH	50 47–51	$22,522/yr	17.2x
75	South Texas College McAllen, TX	50 46–51	$19,971/yr	21.6x
76	West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah, KY	50 45–52	$17,435/yr	27.8x
77	Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI	49 46–50	$18,516/yr	19.5x
78	Baker College Owosso, MI	48 43–50	$22,557/yr	11.5x
79	Somerset Community College Somerset, KY	48 43–49	$14,888/yr	21.1x
80	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH	47 43–48	$22,522/yr	7.2x
81	American Public University System Charles Town, WV	46 41–48	$16,558/yr	15.3x
82	ICPR Junior College-Arecibo Arecibo, PR	45 41–46	$11,372/yr	13.1x
83	ICPR Junior College-Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR	45 41–46	$11,372/yr	13.1x
84	ICPR Junior College Hato Rey, PR	45 41–46	$11,372/yr	13.1x
85	ICPR Junior College Manati, PR	45 41–46	$11,372/yr	13.1x

Highest Earning Human Development & Family Studies Programs

Schools where Human Development & Family Studies graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	Score
Ferris State University	$49,671/yr	73
Campbellsville University	$37,685/yr	57
City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College	$37,381/yr	67
North Shore Community College	$34,978/yr	64
Arapahoe Community College	$34,716/yr	73
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College	$34,294/yr	64
Southern Crescent Technical College	$34,002/yr	76
Tulsa Community College	$33,103/yr	65
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City	$32,967/yr	65
Saint Paul College	$32,055/yr	60

Best ROI for Human Development & Family Studies

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Human Development & Family Studies.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	Score
Coalinga College	230.3x	$18,810/yr	68
Modesto Junior College	202.4x	$15,819/yr	67
Santa Ana College	201.2x	$23,863/yr	71
Cabrillo College	185.5x	$23,686/yr	71
Fresno City College	119.5x	$30,519/yr	74
Davidson-Davie Community College	112.5x	$22,448/yr	67
Southern Crescent Technical College	107.8x	$34,002/yr	76
East Los Angeles College	106.1x	$10,032/yr	58
Central New Mexico Community College	93.0x	$31,256/yr	72
Palm Beach State College	92.3x	$28,328/yr	70

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Considering a 4-Year Degree?

Compare the trade route with a bachelor's degree. See how Human Development & Family Studies degree programs stack up on earnings, AI disruption risk, and ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Human Development & Family Studies graduates earn?

The median first-year salary across 85 Human Development & Family Studies programs is $24,124. School selection matters — the gap between the lowest ($10,032) and highest ($49,671) earning programs is significant.

Will AI replace Human Development & Family Studies jobs?

Human Development & Family Studies is rated "Resilient" for AI resilience — 59% of job tasks involve hands-on work shielded from AI automation. That means most career tasks in this field rely on skills AI cannot replicate.

Which school has the best Human Development & Family Studies program?

Southern Crescent Technical College leads all 85 programs with a TradeSchoolOutlook Score of 76/100. Graduates earn $34,002/yr — the ranking weighs earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size equally.

What's the ROI on a Human Development & Family Studies program?

The average 10-year earnings multiple is 46.7x tuition. This is a strong return on investment. The spread between the best and worst programs is wide, so individual school selection has a major impact.