What education levels are typically required to access projected living-wage jobs across Hawaiʻi?
Workforce Understory Episode: Season 1, Episode 1 — The Geography of Opportunity
Geography: Statewide
Topic: Living-wage opportunity and education requirements
The takeaway
Statewide, 41% of projected living-wage job openings typically require a bachelor’s degree, while 31% require only a high school diploma and 10% require a graduate degree.
By comparison, 54% of projected openings below the living-wage threshold have no formal education requirement, and another 33% require only a high school diploma.
Only 3% of projected living-wage openings typically require an associate degree.
Hawaiʻi’s living-wage opportunities are concentrated at opposite ends of the education spectrum: bachelor’s-level careers and jobs accessible with a high school diploma.
What this visualization shows
This visualization compares the education typically required for projected living-wage and below-living-wage job openings across Hawaiʻi.
The differences are substantial. Jobs that pay below the living-wage threshold are heavily concentrated among occupations with no formal education requirement or only a high school diploma. Together, those categories account for 87% of projected below-living-wage openings.
Living-wage opportunities have a different education profile. A large share require a bachelor’s or graduate degree, reflecting the importance of higher education for accessing many of Hawaiʻi’s better-paying careers.
At the same time, nearly one-third of projected living-wage openings require only a high school diploma. This suggests that four-year degrees are not the only path to economic security. Work experience, apprenticeships, technical skills, industry credentials, employer-based learning, and career advancement may also create routes into living-wage work.
What appears much less prominently is the traditional middle of the education spectrum. Only 3% of projected living-wage openings are classified as typically requiring an associate degree.
That does not necessarily mean associate degrees or short-term credentials have little value. Occupational projections identify the education typically required to enter an occupation; they do not capture every pathway people use to qualify, advance, or increase their earnings. Still, the small share raises important questions about how Hawaiʻi’s education and workforce investments connect to living-wage outcomes.
Why this matters
Education is one of the most important tools people use to expand their career opportunities. But the relationship between education and economic mobility is not as simple as earning any credential and expecting a living-wage job to follow.
This visualization suggests that Hawaiʻi’s labor market rewards some educational pathways more clearly than others. Bachelor’s and graduate degrees provide access to a substantial share of projected living-wage work. High school graduates may also reach living-wage careers through occupations that value experience, technical preparation, apprenticeships, licensing, or employer-based learning.
The pathway for associate-degree and short-term credential holders is less visible in the projections.
That matters because community colleges and workforce programs play a central role in preparing people for careers without requiring the time and cost of a four-year degree. If those pathways are expected to support economic mobility, communities need to understand whether the credentials being offered align with occupations that pay a living wage—and whether graduates can continue advancing after entering the workforce.
This evidence invites Hawaiʻi to ask a more specific question:
Which education and training pathways consistently help people reach living-wage careers—and where are stronger connections to employment and advancement still needed?
Evidence:
Questions this visualization helps answer
How does the education profile of living-wage openings compare with openings below the living-wage threshold?
What share of projected living-wage jobs requires a bachelor’s or graduate degree?
How many living-wage opportunities remain accessible with only a high school diploma?
Where do associate degrees and other postsecondary credentials appear within Hawaiʻi’s projected job market?
How strongly are formal education requirements associated with whether a job pays a living wage?
Curiosity:
Questions this visualization raises
Why do associate-degree occupations represent such a small share of projected living-wage openings?
Are community college programs aligned with occupations that provide living-wage earnings and opportunities for advancement?
Are short-term credentials helping workers enter occupations classified as requiring only a high school diploma?
Which non-degree occupations account for the 31% of living-wage openings accessible with a high school diploma?
Do workers in those occupations need apprenticeships, licenses, technical credentials, or significant work experience even when additional education is not formally required?
How do education requirements differ across industries, occupations, and counties?
Does the education typically required to enter an occupation accurately reflect the credentials employers request in practice?
What happens to earnings several years after someone completes an associate degree or short-term credential?
How can Hawaiʻi strengthen the connection between community college pathways, employer demand, and long-term economic mobility?
Youth Perspective
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