Best Construction Trades Schools (2026): 8 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Construction Trades, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Construction Trades graduate earns $38,399/yr across 8 schools.
Why a Hawaiian Community College Delivers a 166x ROI
Honolulu Community College’s #1 rank is driven by its unique position in a high-wage, geographically isolated market. The staggering $86,741 average first-year earnings reflect Hawaii's high cost of living and chronic demand for skilled labor, which inflates construction wages. As the state's central hub for trades training, the school leverages direct partnerships with local unions, feeding graduates into high-paying apprenticeships that are otherwise difficult to access.
The ROI Paradox: How the Lowest Earner Can Be a Smart Bet
It’s easy to dismiss Lake Land College (#8) for its rock-bottom $12,838/yr earnings, the lowest on our list. However, its 29.0x ROI tells a different story, revealing it as a hidden gem. This powerful return is driven by an exceptionally low tuition of just $4,280, making it a low-risk financial entry point. The low earnings figure likely reflects graduates working part-time or in early-stage apprenticeships, not a full-time salary, making the ROI the more telling metric for long-term value.
For-Profits and the Debt-to-Earnings Trap
The presence of for-profit schools like Charter College (#4) and Apex Technical School (#6) in the top 8 is a surprise, but it comes with a warning. At Apex, graduates carry $9,500 in debt against first-year earnings of just $23,562—a risky 2.48x debt-to-earnings ratio. By contrast, a public school like Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES (#7) offers similar earnings ($24,129/yr) with half the debt, providing a much safer financial launchpad into your career.
Your Diploma Is Just the Start: The Apprenticeship Path
In construction, your school diploma gets you in the door, but a paid apprenticeship is what builds your career. This multi-year, on-the-job training is where you advance from apprentice to journeyman, and it is the standard pathway to higher wages and responsibility. Many employers and unions look for industry-standard credentials from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), and the best programs on this list have formal pipelines that place graduates directly into these essential apprenticeships.
Licensing requirements vary by state — always verify specifics with the relevant state board before enrolling.
All Construction Trades Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Honolulu Community College
Honolulu, HI · Construction Trades |
76
70–78 |
$86,741/yr | 166.1x |
| 2 |
Great Oaks Career Campuses
Cincinnati, OH · Construction Trades |
51
45–53 |
$39,297/yr | — |
| 3 |
Perry Technical Institute
Yakima, WA · Construction Trades |
51
45–53 |
$39,366/yr | — |
| 4 |
Charter College
Anchorage, AK · Construction Trades |
51
46–53 |
$52,820/yr | 10.9x |
| 5 |
Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center
Minneapolis, MN · Construction Trades |
44
38–45 |
$28,440/yr | — |
| 6 |
Apex Technical School
Long Island City, NY · Construction Trades |
40
34–42 |
$23,562/yr | — |
| 7 |
Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES
Liverpool, NY · Construction Trades |
40
35–42 |
$24,129/yr | — |
| 8 |
Lake Land College
Mattoon, IL · Construction Trades |
35
32–37 |
$12,838/yr | 29.0x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Construction Trades Schools ranks 8 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.