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2023 Best Construction Trades Schools

152 Colleges
$38,184 Avg Salary
$11,556 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Construction Trades School for You

Construction Trades is the #35 most popular major in the country with 35,794 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Construction Trades Schools ranking. This report analyzed 152 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Construction Trades Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Construction Trades Colleges.

Top 15% Best Construction Trades Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Warren County Career Center the best school in the United States for construction trades students. Warren County Career Center is a fairly small public school located in the rural area of Lebanon.

Construction Trades majors at Warren County Career Center take out an average of $8,865 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#2

Great Oaks Career Campuses

Cincinnati, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Great Oaks Career Campuses. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Construction Trades Schools list. Great Oaks Career Campuses is a small public school located in the suburb of Cincinnati.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from Great Oaks Career Campuses carry an average student debtload of $9,500.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Great Oaks Career Campuses

#3

Western Technical College

La Crosse, WI

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Technical College is a great place for construction trades students. Located in the city of La Crosse, Western Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that construction trades majors at Western Technical College take out is $5,500.

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The excellent programs at Northwest Iowa Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best construction trades schools in the United States. Located in the rural area of Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from Northwest Iowa Community College carry an average student debtload of $9,033.

Full Construction Trades at Northwest Iowa Community College Report

#5

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Out of the 152 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, North Hennepin Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. North Hennepin Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.

On average, construction trades graduates from North Hennepin Community College take out $15,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#6

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Ivy Tech Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best construction trades programs. Ivy Tech Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.

On average, construction trades graduates from Ivy Tech Community College take out $8,666 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Ivy Tech Community College

Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for construction trades students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from CVTC carry an average student debtload of $6,267.

Full Construction Trades at Chippewa Valley Technical College Report

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #8 on this year’s Best Construction Trades Schools list. UTSA is a very large public school located in the city of San Antonio.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from UTSA carry an average student debtload of $23,000.

Read full report on Construction Trades at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for construction trades students. It came in at #9 on the list. Southwest Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Fennimore.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from Southwest Tech carry an average student debtload of $5,500.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center ranked #10 on this year’s Best Construction Trades Schools list. Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center carry an average student debtload of $8,250.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center

North American Trade Schools did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for construction trades students. It came in at #11 on the list. North American Trade Schools is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Baltimore.

Construction Trades majors at North American Trade Schools take out an average of $10,516 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Construction Trades at North American Trade Schools Report

With a ranking of #12, Des Moines Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for construction trades students. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Construction Trades at Des Moines Area Community College Report

Perry Technical Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for construction trades students. It came in at #13 on the list. Perry Tech is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Yakima.

On average, construction trades graduates from Perry Tech take out $14,901 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Construction Trades at Perry Technical Institute Report

Lansing Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Construction Trades Schools ranking. Located in the city of Lansing, LCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from LCC carry an average student debtload of $11,710.

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With a ranking of #15, Brookdale Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for construction trades students. Brookdale Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Lincroft.

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Raritan Valley Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for construction trades students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the rural area of Branchburg, RVCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Construction Trades at Raritan Valley Community College Report

With a ranking of #17, Texas State Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for construction trades students. Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, TSTC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, construction trades majors at TSTC accumulate an average of around $10,003 in student debt.

Read More…

#18

Mid-EastCTC-Adult Education

Zanesville, OH

With a ranking of #18, Mid-EastCTC-Adult Education did quite well on this year’s best schools for construction trades students. Located in the rural area of Zanesville, Mid-EastCTC-Adult Education is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, construction trades graduates from Mid-EastCTC-Adult Education carry an average student debtload of $6,660.

Full Construction Trades at Mid-EastCTC-Adult Education Report

#19

Advanced Training Institute

Las Vegas, NV

With a ranking of #19, Advanced Training Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for construction trades students. Advanced Training Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Las Vegas.

Construction Trades majors at Advanced Training Institute take out an average of $7,600 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Construction Trades at Advanced Training Institute Report

With a ranking of #20, Trinidad State Junior College did quite well on this year’s best schools for construction trades students. Trinidad State Junior College is a small public school located in the remote town of Trinidad.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Trinidad State Junior College

Lincoln Technical Institute - Mahwah landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best construction trades programs. Lincoln Tech - Mahwah is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mahwah.

While working on their degree, construction trades majors at Lincoln Tech - Mahwah accumulate an average of around $13,137 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $109, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Lincoln Technical Institute - Mahwah

Pickaway Ross Joint Vocational School District came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Construction Trades Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Chillicothe, Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center is a public college with a fairly small student population.

On average, construction trades graduates from Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center take out $5,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Construction Trades at Pickaway Ross Joint Vocational School District

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Construction Trades Schools award.

Rank College Location
23 Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND
24 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
25 Reading Area Community College Reading, PA
26 Lincoln Technical Institute - Union Union, NJ
27 Pierpont Community and Technical College Fairmont, WV
28 Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN
29 Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI
30 MotoRing Technical Training Institute Seekonk, MA

Construction Trades by Region

View the Best Construction Trades Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Construction Trades Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Electrical & Power Transmission Installers 23,527
Building Management & Inspection 4,511
Carpentry 3,273
Plumbing & Water Supply 2,617
Construction 1,435
Masonry 274
Other Construction 157

Related Major Annual Graduates
Personal & Culinary Services 130,328
Mechanic & Repair Technologies 96,336
Precision Production 52,913
Transportation & Materials Moving 29,084

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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