FCS Industry Statistics

In 2024, the AAFCS embarked on a project to map the breadth of the Family and Consumer Sciences industry. The goal of the project is to identify the enrollment and graduation rates of FCS post-secondary students and by comparing graduation rates in FCS with overall rates for a given career path, develop estimates of the economic contributions of the FCS industry on the overall U.S. Economy.

One challenge faced in developing the data included below was the range of terminology used to refer to Family and Consumer Sciences. Home Economics is still widely used around the world and in areas of the United States as well as Human Ecology, Human Sciences, and Health and Human Sciences. These terms should be seen as representative of the whole of Family and Consumer Sciences, where each serve as supporting areas of focus and a transition to new applications of Family and Consumer Sciences research and skill sets. 

The data included below was collected from:
•    FAEIS, the Food and Agricultural Education Information System, https://faeis.cals.vt.edu/data-center/;
•    National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP);
•    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics;
•    Industry reports developed by IBISWorld; and,
•    Research and data from research and impact studies submitted by FCS Professionals. 

Graduates of Family and Consumer Sciences programs organized by degree achieved:

*The data included above is sourced from reports submitted by institutions of higher education in 2024.

Graduates of Family and Consumer Sciences programs reported in 2024, organized by Academic Area:

Calculation of % of FCS in total food, nutrition, and culinary programs[1]

Family and Consumer Sciences graduates make up, on average, 45% of all graduates amongst reporting institutions in the Food career area. This includes Food science and nutrition, food education, culinary services and more. In several states, such as Alabama, Delaware, Nebraska, Vermont, and Virginian FCS graduates exceeded those from other programs by over 70%.
Note, these numbers do not include graduates of specialized culinary institutions which may not report their graduation data to state agencies.

Sub-Industry Analysis:
1.    In the Accommodation & Food Services Industry, employees generate approximately $98,000 in revenue each year. The industry employs 14 million people in the United States and generates 1.3 trillion dollars in revenue each year. If all FCS professionals graduating from FCS Food programs pursued careers in Accommodation and Food Service, their total contribution to the US Economy would be $11 billion dollars per year. The average salary of First-line supervisors/managers of food preparation and serving workers is $37,700/year. 

2.    In the Catering Industry, employees generate approximately $44,000 in revenue each year. The industry employs 275k people and generates 12.2 billion dollars per year. If all FCS professionals graduating from FCS Food programs pursued careers in Catering, their total contribution to the US Economy would be $5 billion dollars per year. The average salary for chefs and head cooks was $58,900/year in 2023.

3.    In the Food Education Industry, employees generate approximately $205,000 in revenue each year. The industry employs 482k people and generates 98.9 billion dollars per year. If all FCS professionals graduating from FCS Food programs pursued careers in Catering, their total contribution to the US Economy would be $236 billion dollars per year. The average salary of employees working in the Food Education space is $88,000/year.

This research is ongoing, additional data and statistics will be added in the coming weeks.