by our College Data Analytics Team
[Human Development Family Studies](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 43 schools to find where human development family studies graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send human development family studies graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked California State University San Bernardino the top school for human development family studies graduate earnings in California. Set in the city of San Bernardino, California State University San Bernardino is a public institution. Students who complete the human development family studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $53,086.
Strong graduate earnings at Santa Rosa Junior College earned it the #2 place for human development family studies. Set in the city of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Junior College is a public institution. Students who complete the human development family studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $37,573.
Strong graduate earnings at California State University East Bay earned it the #3 place for human development family studies. Set in the suburb of Hayward, California State University East Bay is a public institution. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from California State University East Bay typically earn about $62,078 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at El Camino Community College District earned it the #4 place for human development family studies. Set in the suburb of Torrance, El Camino Community College District is a public institution. Students who complete the human development family studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $35,881.
Whittier College produces some of the highest-paid graduates in human development family studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Whittier, Whittier College is a private not-for-profit institution. Human Development Family Studies graduates of Whittier College earn a median of about $45,651 a year early in their careers.
Merritt College came in at #6 for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Oakland, Merritt College is a public institution. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from Merritt College typically earn about $37,829 annually.
University Of California San Diego earned the #7 position for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. University Of California San Diego is a public school located in the city of La Jolla. Students who complete the human development family studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $63,343.
University Of La Verne ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying human development family studies schools. Located in the suburb of La Verne, University Of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. Human Development Family Studies graduates of University Of La Verne earn a median of about $45,219 a year early in their careers.
Pacific Oaks College landed the #9 spot for human development family studies salaries this year. Set in the city of Pasadena, Pacific Oaks College is a private not-for-profit institution. Human Development Family Studies graduates of Pacific Oaks College earn a median of about $50,248 a year early in their careers.
Sonoma State University placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for human development family studies. Sonoma State University is a public school located in the suburb of Rohnert Park. Early-career human development family studies graduates from Sonoma State University make a median of around $57,628 per year.
Citrus College earned the #11 position for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Glendora, Citrus College is a public institution. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from Citrus College typically earn about $32,000 annually.
West Hills College Lemoore placed #12 among the highest-paying schools for human development family studies. West Hills College Lemoore is a public school located in the rural area of Lemoore. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from West Hills College Lemoore typically earn about $32,432 annually.
Rio Hondo College came in at #13 for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Located in the rural area of Whittier, Rio Hondo College is a public institution. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from Rio Hondo College typically earn about $31,944 annually.
San Joaquin Delta College earned the #14 position for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. San Joaquin Delta College is a public school located in the city of Stockton. Human Development Family Studies graduates of San Joaquin Delta College earn a median of about $31,494 a year early in their careers.
Fresno City College placed #15 among the highest-paying schools for human development family studies. Set in the city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public institution. Human Development Family Studies graduates of Fresno City College earn a median of about $30,743 a year early in their careers.
Riverside City College came in at #16 for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public institution. Human Development Family Studies graduates of Riverside City College earn a median of about $30,076 a year early in their careers.
Cet San Jose earned the #17 position for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of San Jose, Cet San Jose is a private not-for-profit institution. Human Development Family Studies graduates of Cet San Jose earn a median of about $29,789 a year early in their careers.
San Diego City College placed #18 among the highest-paying schools for human development family studies. San Diego City College is a public school located in the city of San Diego. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from San Diego City College typically earn about $29,782 annually.
Cerritos College landed the #19 spot for human development family studies salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public institution. Early-career human development family studies graduates from Cerritos College make a median of around $30,470 per year.
Los Angeles Pierce College earned the #20 position for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Los Angeles Pierce College is a public school located in the city of Woodland Hills. Students who complete the human development family studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $30,183.
Ventura College earned the #21 position for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Ventura College is a public school located in the city of Ventura. Early-career human development family studies graduates from Ventura College make a median of around $30,138 per year.
Mt San Antonio College ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying human development family studies schools. Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt San Antonio College is a public institution. Early-career human development family studies graduates from Mt San Antonio College make a median of around $29,964 per year.
College Of The Canyons came in at #23 for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Santa Clarita, College Of The Canyons is a public institution. Students who complete the human development family studies program here go on to a median salary of roughly $29,188.
West Hills College Coalinga came in at #24 for human development family studies graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Coalinga, West Hills College Coalinga is a public institution. Early-career human development family studies graduates from West Hills College Coalinga make a median of around $32,006 per year.
California State University Long Beach landed the #25 spot for human development family studies salaries this year. Set in the city of Long Beach, California State University Long Beach is a public institution. After graduating, human development family studies degree recipients from California State University Long Beach typically earn about $52,033 annually.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid human development family studies ranking:
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their human development family studies graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 43 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.