How do median wages and the share of graduates remaining in Hawaiʻi change across UH West Oʻahu programs one, five, and ten years after graduation?
Workforce Understory Episode: Episode Two — Understanding Underemployment
Geography: Honolulu County
Topic: UH West Oʻahu graduate earnings, retention, living-wage attainment, and education outcomes
The takeaway
One year after graduation, none of the UH West Oʻahu programs shown reaches the living-wage threshold. Yet retention is already high in several fields, including Psychology at 92% and Business at 89%.
By year five, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies is the only program shown above the living-wage threshold, but just 40% of its graduates remain in Hawaiʻi. Psychology and Education continue to have some of the highest retention rates while remaining below a living wage.
By year ten, Business, Education, and Public Administration reach living-wage earnings. Social Sciences has the highest retention rate, at 82%, but still remains below the living-wage threshold.
At UH West Oʻahu, the programs most successful at keeping graduates in Hawaiʻi are often the least successful at providing timely economic security.
What this visualization shows
One year after graduation, none of the UH West Oʻahu programs shown reaches the living-wage threshold. Yet retention is already high in several fields, including Psychology at 92% and Business at 89%.
By year five, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies is the only program shown above the living-wage threshold, but just 40% of its graduates remain in Hawaiʻi. Psychology and Education continue to have some of the highest retention rates while remaining below a living wage.
By year ten, Business, Education, and Public Administration reach living-wage earnings. Social Sciences has the highest retention rate, at 82%, but still remains below the living-wage threshold.
At UH West Oʻahu, the programs most successful at keeping graduates in Hawaiʻi are often the least successful at providing timely economic security.
Why this matters
UH West Oʻahu serves a large population of local, working, first-generation, and place-rooted students. Many graduates may already have strong family, cultural, and community ties that make remaining in Hawaiʻi especially important.
That may help explain why programs such as Psychology, Education, and Social Sciences retain graduates at high rates despite relatively modest wages.
But strong retention does not necessarily mean the pathway is economically sustainable.
Graduates may remain because they value staying close to family, feel committed to serving their communities, or work in fields whose responsibilities are deeply connected to place. They may also have limited access to substantially better-paying opportunities elsewhere.
Distinguishing between those explanations matters.
If graduates are choosing to stay despite more lucrative alternatives, the pattern may reflect strong rootedness and commitment. If the same fields are underpaid across labor markets, leaving may offer little financial benefit. Either way, persistent wages below the living-wage threshold can create long-term strain for workers and the institutions that depend on them.
Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, and Public Administration also prepare graduates for roles that support schools, government, health, human services, and community institutions. If Hawaiʻi retains these workers by relying on their willingness to accept lower wages, retention may come at the cost of financial stability and eventually contribute to burnout or turnover.
This evidence invites Hawaiʻi to ask:
Are UH West Oʻahu graduates remaining because they have found sustainable careers here—or because their commitment to place is carrying more of the burden than the jobs themselves?
Evidence:
Questions this visualization helps answer
Which UH West Oʻahu programs retain the largest shares of graduates?
Which programs reach the living-wage threshold within five or ten years?
Do programs with the highest retention also produce the strongest wages?
Which programs combine living-wage earnings with relatively high retention?
How long does it take graduates in Business, Education, and Public Administration to reach a living wage?
Which programs retain graduates despite remaining below the living-wage threshold?
Curiosity:
Questions this visualization raises
Why do Psychology, Education, and Social Sciences retain graduates at high rates despite relatively low wages?
Are graduates remaining because of family ties, cultural connection, community commitment, or limited alternatives?
Would graduates in these fields earn substantially more if they moved to the continental United States?
Are these occupations structurally underpaid across labor markets, or is the wage challenge especially severe in Hawaiʻi?
Why does Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies reach a living wage by year five while retaining only about 40% of graduates?
What occupations do Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies graduates enter?
Why does Social Sciences remain below the living-wage threshold even after ten years despite retaining 82% of graduates?
Are graduates working in occupations directly related to their degree programs?
Do Education and Public Administration graduates remain because local public institutions provide relatively stable employment?
How do public-sector salary schedules and nonprofit compensation affect these outcomes?
How many graduates work multiple jobs or rely on household income to remain in Hawaiʻi?
Do graduates eventually leave after ten years if wages fail to keep pace with living costs?
How do outcomes vary by race, gender, family income, age, first-generation status, or community?
Are graduates from West Oʻahu communities more likely to remain near home than graduates from other campuses?
What employer practices or policy changes could improve wages in high-retention fields?
Which programs successfully combine strong retention, living-wage earnings, and meaningful local employment?
What comparisons with mainland wages would help explain whether graduates stay because of rootedness or limited economic alternatives?
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