Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection
Construction Trades
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,196 | $31,168 to $54,611 | 24 | 62% |
| Associate's Degree | $56,529 | $48,148 to $72,210 | 16 | 94% |
| Bachelor's Degree | $87,107 | $85,630 to $90,691 | 5 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +3% (2025 to 2035), about 364,600 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $49,590 | +4.2% | 148,700 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $79,920 | +5% | 67,000 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers | $49,100 | +3.2% | 30,800 |
| Painters, Construction and Maintenance | $49,400 | +3% | 24,900 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $74,690 | +0% | 14,800 |
| Facilities Managers | $106,660 | +4.6% | 14,200 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a building/construction finishing, management, and inspection program, of 309 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Mesa Community College
- NUC University
- Ivy Tech Community College
- Lake Land College
- Wake Technical Community College
- Tidewater Tech-Trades
- Utah Valley University
- Cape Fear Community College
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.