Medical and health sciences ($106,827), engineering ($103,085), physical sciences ($101,059), and biology and life sciences ($99,996) top the list of majors with the most potential earnings in Hawaiʻi, according to a new analysis by experts at the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO).
Nationwide, the top majors were engineering ($121,369), economics ($120,669), computer and information sciences ($113,460), and biology and life sciences ($112,625). Report authors Rachel Inafuku and Tim Halliday utilized data from the American Community Survey in their analysis.
“When comparing the estimated earnings for college graduates in Hawaiʻi to those in the U.S., it is clear that the income range is considerably more compressed in Hawaiʻi. Only three of the top 10 majors in Hawaiʻi reach six-figure salaries by mid-career, and these top earners still earn considerably less than the top three majors across the U.S.,” Inafuku and Halliday write. “Additionally, the earnings gap between the highest and lowest-paying majors is narrower in Hawaiʻi. This compression in earnings is consistent with expectations, given the economy’s heavy reliance on tourism and its lower levels of economic diversity and income inequality compared to other states.”
UH’s significant return on investment
This analysis follows a January 2024 UHERO report by Halliday and Inafuku that shows lifetime earnings of UH graduates with bachelor’s degrees were 27% higher than those who exited UH without their degrees.
The bottom line is that people with college degrees generally earn substantially more than non-graduates.
— Inafuku and Halliday
“The bottom line is that people with college degrees generally earn substantially more than non-graduates,” Inafuku and Halliday said. “A widely recognized finding in labor economics is that additional years of schooling cause earnings to increase. In fact, research indicates that an additional year of higher education typically raises earnings by 10%.”
UHERO is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences.
