Construction Trades graduates earn $93,761 four years out. Related careers are growing at up to 9.7%, one of the stronger demand signals across all fields. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay is among the highest-growth roles in the field.
This page covers Construction Trades as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Construction and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Construction Trades is a focused area of study within Construction. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $93,761 four years out, a strong return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 36 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 232 students complete it each year, most walking away with a certificate. Training is practical and skills-based, with a fast path from classroom to job site.
Four years after finishing Construction Trades, a typical graduate earns $93,761, well above average for college graduates. Half of earners land somewhere between $75,124 and $114,233, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Source: College Scorecard.
What that figure means in practice depends on what the degree cost to get, which is a matter of lifetime earnings against total outlay.
Well above average for college graduates.
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Not every Construction Trades graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out widely, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Region and union membership drive the gap more than any other factor. Union jobs in high-cost metros pay significantly more than non-union positions elsewhere.
Strong ROI. At median 4-year earnings of $93,761 against an estimated $39,416 four-year net cost, most graduates break even against baseline wages in under two years.
Based on outcomes from 1 schools. Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Of the 232 students who complete Construction Trades programs each year, the majority (61%) earn a certificate degree. The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
This degree does not lock you into one job. Construction Trades graduates show up in 8 different occupations, and Facilities Managers pay the most at $106,660/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
The best-paid of these is what Facilities Managers earn and how fast those roles are growing, though entry requirements vary across the list.
Not sure where to study Construction Trades? These 10 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by score, that list starts with the cost and outcomes at Ivy Tech Community College, and the rest follow the same measures.
| # | College | Graduates | Acceptance | Net Price/yr | Earnings 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN · Public | 16 | Open | $7,258 | $37,186 |
| 2 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro Jacksboro, TN · Public | 14 | Open | $12,746 | $36,449 |
| 3 | Pickens Technical College Aurora, CO · Public | 11 | Open | $6,600 | $39,210 |
| 4 | Mitchell Technical College Mitchell, SD · Public | 7 | Open | $13,460 | $50,743 |
| 5 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman Harriman, TN · Public | 6 | Open | $11,148 | $31,591 |
| 6 | Fort Hays Tech North Central Beloit, KS · Public | 4 | Open | $12,393 | $46,928 |
| 7 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski Pulaski, TN · Public | 4 | Open | $15,269 | $40,368 |
| 8 | Macomb Community College Warren, MI · Public | 1 | Open | $1,618 | $41,596 |
| 9 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS · Public | 1 | Open | $6,962 | $33,017 |
| 10 | Southern Maine Community College South Portland, ME · Public | 1 | Open | $11,086 | $41,661 |
Ranked by Construction Trades graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats. Read our methodology →
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Construction Trades program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find schools that match your profile.
See if a Construction Trades degree pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings its graduates actually see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
Strong earnings and positive career growth make Construction Trades a solid option. The 4 strengths and 2 trade-offs below are data-sourced from College Scorecard, BLS, and IPEDS.
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
