College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 19 colleges (19 of 19 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$34,575

Graduates only, early career.$36,401 two years out.

Median federal debt

$20,594

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.62×

62% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies report early-career pay between $29,892 and $40,892 — a spread of $11,000 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $29,892 median $34,575 75th pct $40,892

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 19 colleges $34,575 $20,594 0.62×

Master's 4 colleges $40,368 $30,492 0.72×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

University of Utah UT $47,195 —

Texas Tech University TX $45,136 $27,000 debt

University of Missouri-Columbia MO $43,998 $27,000 debt

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville TN $42,988 $18,500 debt

University of Georgia GA $41,613 $18,750 debt

Ohio State University-Main Campus OH $40,172 $20,645 debt

The University of Alabama AL $39,629 $22,477 debt

Iowa State University IA $37,468 $16,029 debt

South Dakota State University SD $37,450 $21,852 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $34,575 $17,851 debt

Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $31,703 $20,000 debt

Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ $31,703 $20,000 debt

Texas State University TX $30,224 $19,349 debt

Virginia State University VA $30,141 $28,500 debt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln NE $29,642 $20,544 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard