MAJORS · 18 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a family & consumer sciences degree worth it?
Part of Miscellaneous — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$15,939. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$15,939
across 59 bachelor’s programs · 7,260 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
−$9K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$63K ⟷ +$67K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
50.6%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
40
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$33K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$95K
Questions
- Is a family & consumer sciences degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 59 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Family & Consumer Sciences is +$15,939 and the median is −$8,527. 50.6% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$63,223 and +$66,580.
- How long until a family & consumer sciences degree pays off?
- Among Family & Consumer Sciences programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 40 (FREOPP 2021). 50.6% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a family & consumer sciences major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Family & Consumer Sciences graduates span −$63,223 to +$66,580 — a +$130K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Family & Consumer Sciences: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/family-and-consumer-sciences