ROI Major

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at Kapiolani Community College

HI · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.10

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree from Kapiolani Community College earn a median salary of $67,465 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in HI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $36,666. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.8 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$55,665

Typical Career

$67,465

Top Performers

$80,415

Estimated break-even: 6.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$450

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,622. Most students can comfortably afford about a $450 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Hawaii buys what costs $1.84 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Accommodation & Food Services, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 33.4%
Accommodation & Food Services 15.1%
Retail Trade 8.3%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$36,666

Nominal: $67,465 in Hawaii (COL 184.0% of national avg) · 45.7% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

6.8 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $42,146 $53,735 $61,332
5 Years After Graduation $55,665 $67,465 $80,415
10 Years After Graduation $51,537 $56,877 $80,729

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $67,465 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in HI, which has a cost-of-living index of 184.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $67,465 × (1.0 ÷ 1.8400) = $36,666 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions program at Kapiolani Community College can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $53,735, increasing to $67,465 after five years. However, it is noteworthy that median earnings ten years post-graduation drop to $56,877. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is significantly lower at $36,665.76, reflecting the higher cost of living in Hawaii, where the cost of living index is 1.84 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The primary industries employing graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 33.4% and 29.5% of positions, followed by Accommodation & Food Services at 21.0%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 6.8 years, suggesting a moderate return on investment for those pursuing this educational route. Overall, while the program offers a solid entry into the healthcare field, prospective students should consider the implications of living costs and industry employment trends when evaluating their career choices.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.