Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) professionals shape lives daily, support communities and quietly power some of the country’s most essential industries. For years, the value of that work has been clear to those in the field, but it has never been fully quantified.
That has changed with the release of the Family and Consumer Sciences Industry Economic Impact Study. Commissioned by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, the study reveals the occupations and industries that employ FCS professionals and quantifies the field’s effect, finding that FCS contributes $753 billion to the economy annually.
These contributions aren’t confined to one industry. They extend to nearly every part of daily life and the economy. FCS professionals work in education, housing, finance, nutrition, agriculture, child development, hospitality, and health and human services. In classrooms, the work looks less like theory and more like life itself: teaching students to budget, plan meals and care for children while opening doors to careers that strengthen communities.
According to the study, 80 percent of respondents began their FCS journey in high school, enrolling in career and technical education courses that focused on FCS content areas. With more than 1 million students completing FCS programs at the secondary level yearly, these courses form one of the country’s largest and most accessible workforce pipelines.
That pipeline leads directly to careers that strengthen communities. Many graduates become educators themselves. In fact, 25 percent of FCS professionals work in the educational services industry, preparing the next generation with the same skills that once opened doors for them. Others apply their expertise to health management, where their work generates more than $83.9 billion annually, or to fields such as childcare, family services and community support. Together, these roles highlight not just economic value but the essential part FCS professionals play in the systems families rely on.
FCS has long equipped individuals with the human-centered skills employers seek: communication, adaptability, problem-solving and leadership. It is the people-centered science that builds the skills technology cannot replace, including caring for others, supporting communities and making decisions that create lasting stability.
This study provides a new level of clarity. It provides professionals, educators and the public a clearer picture of a field that has quietly supported national priorities for generations. It also highlights where Family and Consumer Sciences fits within the broader conversation on education, workforce needs and economic vitality.
Family and Consumer Sciences has never been about a single subject or profession. For 100 years, it has always been about equipping individuals to lead capable lives and ensuring that the systems they contribute to are stronger because of it. Now, we finally have the numbers to match the effect.
