How do median wages and the share of graduates remaining in Hawaiʻi change across UH Hilo four-year programs one, five, and ten years after graduation?
Workforce Understory Episode: Episode Two — Understanding Underemployment
Geography: Hawaiʻi County
Topic: UH Hilo graduate earnings, retention, living-wage attainment, and education outcomes
The takeaway
One year after graduation, every UH Hilo four-year program shown remains below the living-wage threshold except Health Professions, which reaches approximately $90,000 in median wages while retaining about 60% of graduates in Hawaiʻi.
By year five, Computer and Information Sciences also crosses into living-wage territory.
By year ten, most programs shown have reached or exceeded the living-wage threshold. Yet the highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, reaches approximately $115,000 while retaining only 13% of graduates in Hawaiʻi.
At UH Hilo, the programs producing the strongest long-term wages are often among the least likely to retain graduates in Hawaiʻi.
What this visualization shows
This visualization compares median wages and the share of graduates remaining in Hawaiʻi across UH Hilo four-year programs one, five, and ten years after graduation.
In the first year, most programs cluster below the living-wage threshold. Health Professions stands apart, combining comparatively strong earnings with a retention rate of roughly 60%.
By year five, wages begin to separate more clearly. Computer and Information Sciences joins Health Professions above the living-wage threshold, while many other programs remain below it.
By year ten, most programs shown have reached living-wage earnings. Retention, however, remains uneven and in some cases declines sharply.
Computer and Information Sciences illustrates the tension most clearly. It produces the highest median wage at approximately $115,000, but only 13% of graduates remain in Hawaiʻi. Another high-wage program retains only about 32%, while programs with stronger retention tend to cluster at lower wage levels.
The visualization does not establish why graduates leave. It does show that rising wages and long-term retention do not necessarily move together for UH Hilo graduates.
Why this matters
UH Hilo plays a critical role in preparing Hawaiʻi Island residents for professional and technical careers.
For many students, it offers the most geographically accessible four-year pathway available without relocating to Oʻahu or leaving the state. Its ability to connect graduates with sustainable local careers therefore matters not only to individual students, but also to Hawaiʻi Island’s broader workforce future.
The wage trajectories shown suggest that economic stability often takes time. Many graduates spend several years below the living-wage threshold before reaching stronger earnings.
The retention pattern raises a second challenge.
When the programs producing the highest wages retain the fewest graduates, Hawaiʻi Island may be educating people for careers the local economy cannot support at sufficient scale. Graduates may leave because specialized employers, advancement opportunities, professional networks, or competitive salaries are more available elsewhere.
At the same time, graduates who remain may be concentrated in lower-paying fields, suggesting that staying on Hawaiʻi Island can involve an economic tradeoff.
That is not simply a higher-education problem. It reflects the relationship between education, employer demand, job quality, and regional economic development.
This evidence invites Hawaiʻi Island to ask:
Can UH Hilo graduates build high-wage careers locally, or does reaching their full earning potential increasingly require leaving?
Evidence:
Questions this visualization helps answer
Which UH Hilo programs reach the living-wage threshold most quickly?
Which programs produce the highest median wages after ten years?
Which programs retain the greatest share of graduates in Hawaiʻi?
Do high-wage programs also have high retention?
How long does it take most UH Hilo programs to reach living-wage earnings?
How do wage growth and retention change together over time?
Curiosity:
Questions this visualization raises
Why does Computer and Information Sciences retain only 13% of graduates by year ten?
Are high-earning graduates being recruited away by mainland or Oʻahu employers?
Does Hawaiʻi Island have enough technology employers, specialized roles, or advancement opportunities to retain these graduates?
Which other high-wage program retains only about 32% of graduates, and what is driving that outcome?
Are graduates leaving because of stronger career opportunities elsewhere, Hawaiʻi’s cost of living, or both?
Which programs combine relatively strong wages with relatively high retention?
What distinguishes Health Professions from other UH Hilo programs?
Are local healthcare employers creating clearer pathways for graduates to remain and advance?
Do graduates in lower-wage, higher-retention programs remain because of family ties, place-based commitment, or limited mobility?
Are UH Hilo graduates working in jobs related to their degree programs?
How many graduates leave Hawaiʻi Island but remain elsewhere in the state?
How many leave Hawaiʻi entirely?
Do graduates who leave eventually return after gaining experience?
How do outcomes differ for students originally from Hawaiʻi Island compared with those who moved there for college?
What role do internships, employer partnerships, research opportunities, and local professional networks play in retention?
Which industries would need to grow on Hawaiʻi Island to create stronger destinations for UH Hilo graduates?
How do housing, transportation, and geographic access affect the decision to remain?
Is the relationship between high wages and low retention becoming stronger or weaker over time?
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