Accounting at Hawaii Community College

For an associate's degree in accounting on an island with a higher cost of living, national benchmark data suggests first-year earnings around $37,000—a figure that may feel tight in Hawaii's expensive housing market. The estimated debt load of roughly $16,000 sits below the national median for accounting associate's programs ($19,354), creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43 that represents less than half a year's salary. This is manageable on paper, though how far those dollars stretch in Hilo versus mainland markets is the real question.

Hawaii has six schools offering associate's-level accounting programs, but none have publicly available outcome data to benchmark against—a common issue in smaller markets with limited cohort sizes. What we know from national data is that accounting associate's degrees tend to produce relatively stable entry-level outcomes compared to many two-year programs, with the median and 75th percentile not dramatically different ($37,000 versus $42,225). The practical challenge here isn't the credential itself but whether local opportunities in bookkeeping, tax preparation, or administrative accounting can support a graduate earning power that offsets Hawaii's 30-40% higher living costs compared to the mainland.

The debt burden appears reasonable if your child plans to stay in Hawaii and can secure steady accounting work—but verify what local employers actually pay entry-level associates. Without hard data from this specific program, you're betting on national patterns holding true in a unique island economy.