Career Training Path › Construction trades programs › California
Construction trades programs in California
California has 54 accredited campuses awarding construction credentials. If you finish and work as a construction laborer in California, expect to start around $40,950–$48,140 and reach a median of $60,270 with experience; the top quarter earn $78,520 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, California). Graduates of these California programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $25,247 in their first year, against $27,572 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What construction laborers earn in California
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 88,240 employed in California. National median: $47,120.
Campuses in California, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: Apple ValleyAptosBakersfieldBlytheChula VistaCoachellaColtonCosta MesaEl CentroEurekaFountain ValleyFresnoFullertonGlendoraImperialLong BeachLos AngelesMission ViejoNorcoOaklandOrangeOrovilleOxnardPalm DesertPasadenaPleasant HillRocklinSacramentoSalinasSan BernardinoSan DiegoSan FranciscoSan JoseSan Luis ObispoSan MarcosSan MateoSanta AnaSanta BarbaraSanta ClaritaSanta Maria
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CET-Salinas | Salinas | non-profit career school | 3 | $37,812 | not reported | 68% | $24,309 |
| CET-San Diego | San Diego | non-profit career school | 63 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 87% | $26,071 |
| CET-Watsonville | Watsonville | non-profit career school | 30 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 83% | $21,229 |
| CET-Soledad | Soledad | non-profit career school | 29 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 81% | $26,110 |
| CET-Oxnard | Oxnard | non-profit career school | 27 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 42% | $23,931 |
| CET-El Centro | El Centro | non-profit career school | 23 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 93% | $27,129 |
| CET-Coachella | Coachella | non-profit career school | 22 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 84% | $27,522 |
| CET-Santa Maria | Santa Maria | non-profit career school | 13 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 77% | $22,703 |
| CET-Colton | Colton | non-profit career school | 5 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 72% | $23,513 |
| CET-San Jose | San Jose | non-profit career school | 1 | $25,247 | $6,323 | 81% | $24,566 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles | Public technical college | 91 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| San Jose City College | San Jose | Public community college | 62 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Cabrillo College | Aptos | Public community college | 60 | not reported | not reported | 38% | not reported |
| Fresno City College | Fresno | Public community college | 58 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa | Public community college | 44 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Santiago Canyon College | Orange | Public community college | 44 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Cosumnes River College | Sacramento | Public community college | 40 | not reported | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Fullerton College | Fullerton | Public community college | 40 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Laney College | Oakland | Public community college | 39 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Citrus College | Glendora | Public community college | 37 | not reported | not reported | 41% | not reported |
| Palomar College | San Marcos | Public community college | 37 | not reported | not reported | 38% | not reported |
| City College of San Francisco | San Francisco | Public community college | 35 | not reported | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Coastline Community College | Fountain Valley | Public community college | 31 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Vista Adult School | Vista | Public community college | 29 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | Public community college | 21 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| San Diego Mesa College | San Diego | Public college | 21 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | Public community college | 19 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Norco College | Norco | Public community college | 18 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| Bakersfield College | Bakersfield | Public college | 17 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Imperial Valley College | Imperial | Public community college | 17 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Mt San Antonio College | Walnut | Public community college | 17 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| College of the Redwoods | Eureka | Public community college | 16 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Ventura College | Ventura | Public community college | 16 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| College of the Sequoias | Visalia | Public community college | 15 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill | Public community college | 14 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Los Angeles Valley College | Valley Glen | Public community college | 11 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| College of the Desert | Palm Desert | Public community college | 10 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Cuesta College | San Luis Obispo | Public community college | 10 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Butte College | Oroville | Public community college | 8 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Hartnell College | Salinas | Public community college | 8 | not reported | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Long Beach City College | Long Beach | Public community college | 8 | not reported | not reported | 30% | not reported |
| Sierra College | Rocklin | Public community college | 8 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| El Camino Community College District | Torrance | Public community college | 7 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| Palo Verde College | Blythe | Public community college | 7 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Saddleback College | Mission Viejo | Public community college | 7 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| College of San Mateo | San Mateo | Public community college | 6 | not reported | not reported | 61% | not reported |
| Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara | Public community college | 4 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Victor Valley College | Victorville | Public community college | 4 | not reported | not reported | 62% | not reported |
| American River College | Sacramento | Public community college | 3 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | Public community college | 3 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| San Bernardino Valley College | San Bernardino | Public community college | 2 | not reported | not reported | 28% | not reported |
| Santa Ana College | Santa Ana | Public college | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Deep Creek Construction School | Apple Valley | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Virtual Design & Construction Institute dba cadteacher | San Diego | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.