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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 4600

Construction Trades, General: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 2 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff

+$367,962 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

Observed earnings clearly outpace the comparison earnings and estimated education cost in this scenario.

2.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
+278%Modeled 10-year ROI
$95,028Observed earnings · year 4
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$95,028Median reported earnings · year 4
$75,176Average reported earnings · year 5
$13,181Median federal debt
100thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
2Reporting programs
1With year-4 earnings
COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$39,108
Federal debt
$9,322
Reporting programs
7
6 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$95,028
Federal debt
$13,181
Reporting programs
2
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$95,028National median$95,02875th percentile$95,028
1 programs report year‑4 earnings.
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Honolulu Community College$95,0282Charter CollegeNot available

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersSOC 47-1011 · 1 crosswalk links
COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Associate's Degree

Electrical and Power Transmission Installers

Year-4 earnings
$66,108
Federal debt
$13,957
63 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection

Year-4 earnings
$60,948
Federal debt
$11,433
13 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Carpenters

Year-4 earnings
$45,798
Federal debt
$12,610
8 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services

Year-4 earnings
$54,989
Federal debt
$13,214
3 reporting programs →
BEST COLLEGES FOR CONSTRUCTION TRADES, GENERAL

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.

#CollegeLocationEarnings, year 4Federal debt10-year ROIVerdict
1Honolulu Community CollegeAssociate's DegreeHonolulu, HI$95,028$12,500+377%Strong payoff
2Charter CollegeAssociate's DegreeAnchorage, AKNot available$13,862WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive$34,860

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.