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Trades vs College ROI Calculator
A 10-year money comparison for YOUR state: earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship wages vs four years of tuition then a bachelor's salary — built from real BLS and NCES figures.
How this tool works
Every anchor figure is real and cited: trade wages are the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state MEDIANS for your state and trade; the bachelor's benchmark is the NCES-published median for 25–34-year-old full-time workers ($66,600, 2022); school costs default to the NCES average published tuition, fees, room & board (2022–23: $22,389/yr public 4-year in-district, $49,654 private, $11,953 public 2-year).
The model (disclosed assumptions):
- Trade path: 4 apprentice years at 50%→60%→70%→80% of your state's journeyman median (registered apprenticeships pay a progressive share of the journey wage; exact schedules vary by program), then the state median from year 5.
- College path: your chosen annual cost for 4 years (2 for community college, then 2 earning at the high-school median of $41,800), then a graduate ramp of 85%→92%→100% of the bachelor's median.
- Constant dollars, no raises beyond the ramps, no loan interest, no scholarships — simplifications that cut both ways.
This is informational, not financial advice. Individual outcomes vary enormously by field of study, union membership, overtime and location. A petroleum-engineering degree beats the median; so does a Local 3 electrician with overtime.
Trade median wages by state (May 2025 BLS OEWS)
| State | Electrician | Plumber | HVAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $55,690 | $58,670 | $48,370 |
| Alaska | $89,440 | $93,920 | $77,430 |
| Arizona | $61,060 | $62,070 | $59,400 |
| Arkansas | $49,070 | $48,660 | $48,110 |
| California | $76,160 | $72,830 | $72,560 |
| Colorado | $62,230 | $63,240 | $65,200 |
| Connecticut | $77,540 | $77,280 | $76,610 |
| Delaware | $63,700 | $64,720 | $62,320 |
| District Of Columbia | $78,970 | $101,020 | $84,390 |
| Florida | $57,250 | $52,910 | $56,670 |
| Georgia | $58,320 | $57,200 | $56,390 |
| Hawaii | $96,460 | $78,060 | $65,450 |
| Idaho | $63,000 | $52,380 | $56,240 |
| Illinois | $99,560 | $99,950 | $77,410 |
| Indiana | $68,490 | $76,320 | $60,430 |
| Iowa | $60,860 | $63,890 | $60,680 |
| Kansas | $65,860 | $65,220 | $60,460 |
| Kentucky | $59,720 | $64,160 | $58,620 |
| Louisiana | $61,540 | $63,680 | $58,650 |
| Maine | $75,380 | $64,000 | $63,170 |
| Maryland | $73,490 | $65,400 | $70,020 |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 | $93,880 | $77,300 |
| Michigan | $76,270 | $80,190 | $60,850 |
| Minnesota | $78,160 | $94,410 | $76,350 |
| Mississippi | $60,860 | $55,480 | $48,680 |
| Missouri | $65,410 | $66,790 | $59,950 |
| Montana | $76,760 | $79,960 | $60,850 |
| Nebraska | $60,820 | $60,970 | $59,850 |
| Nevada | $73,570 | $61,610 | $60,510 |
| New Hampshire | $62,840 | $66,810 | $73,850 |
| New Jersey | $77,250 | $78,240 | $74,450 |
| New Mexico | $58,390 | $61,440 | $50,270 |
| New York | $78,750 | $77,490 | $74,430 |
| North Carolina | $56,800 | $57,080 | $57,260 |
| North Dakota | $65,710 | $63,560 | $74,490 |
| Ohio | $64,700 | $63,330 | $62,510 |
| Oklahoma | $61,010 | $57,970 | $57,560 |
| Oregon | $101,310 | $97,050 | $62,940 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,600 | $68,080 | $62,400 |
| Rhode Island | $74,090 | $76,470 | $67,370 |
| South Carolina | $58,740 | $53,940 | $56,610 |
| South Dakota | $61,390 | $51,620 | $61,390 |
| Tennessee | $61,090 | $58,600 | $55,490 |
| Texas | $58,570 | $59,840 | $57,760 |
| Utah | $62,000 | $61,900 | $58,730 |
| Vermont | $63,430 | $62,170 | $62,150 |
| Virginia | $62,900 | $60,470 | $59,730 |
| Washington | $95,220 | $81,030 | $75,660 |
| West Virginia | $64,810 | $56,980 | $48,850 |
| Wisconsin | $76,540 | $81,210 | $61,710 |
| Wyoming | $76,120 | $62,410 | $54,700 |
FAQ
Where do the wage numbers come from?
The trade wage is the median annual wage for your state and occupation from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — half of workers earn more, half less. The bachelor's figure is the NCES median for 25–34-year-olds working full time ($66,600, 2022 dollars). Both are cited and dated on the page.
Do apprentices really earn while training?
Yes — that's the structural advantage this calculator captures. Registered apprenticeships are paid jobs with scheduled raises (modeled here at 50–80% of the journey wage). The college path spends four years paying tuition instead of earning.
Why does college often win by year 10 anyway?
Because the bachelor's median ($66,600) sits above every state's trade median in our data. The trade path's edge is the head start: no debt plus four earning years. Where the trade median is high (Illinois electricians) the crossover comes late or never within 10 years; where school is expensive (private), the trade lead can hold past year 10.
What does the calculator deliberately leave out?
Loan interest (hurts college), scholarships and aid (help college), overtime and union scale (help trades), contractor/business income after a master license (helps trades), and degree-field differences (huge either way). It's a median-vs-median comparison in constant dollars — a framing tool, not a forecast.
Is the community-college option really cheaper?
Yes — $11,953/yr average published cost including room and board, and only 2 years of it in this model, after which we assume high-school-median earnings while you keep studying or start work. Community college into a trades program is often the cheapest of all paths.