Plumbing & Mechanical ContractorPlumbing & Mechanical Engineer

DECKED Finds That Skilled Trade Workers Love Their Work, Incur Less Debt, but Feel Overlooked

94% of tradespeople report job satisfaction, yet 78% say Americans undervalue the trades.

By Plumbing & Mechanical Editorial Staff

A contractor and apprentice look over documents on a jobsite. — Image courtesy of Pexels.

DECKED is launching Built for Those Who Build, a new campaign centered around uplifting workers in skilled trades. To do so, DECKED commissioned two pieces of research to document the current state and feelings within the industry. The research included an economic analysis comparing a career path in the trades with a four-year college degree, as well as a proprietary survey of 500 tradespeople.

The findings from these studies are the impetus for DECKED’s new campaign, which is designed to highlight skilled trades as a respected and in-demand career path. This is especially important because more than two million trade jobs are projected to remain unfilled by 2030.

The campaign will include a new video series designed to honor different trade professions, outreach to local schools to encourage participation in the trades, and a Builder’s Day event on Sept. 30 at DECKED’s manufacturing facility in Defiance, Ohio, celebrating the blue-collar workers who give it their all every day.

“Built for Those Who Build isn't just a campaign. It's who we are. Tradespeople built DECKED, and nearly every other blue-collar brand out there,” said Bill Banta, CEO of DECKED. “Their work has gone undervalued for too long. We're changing that with this campaign. ”

DECKED’s economic trajectory study compares the earnings of skilled trades (electricians, HVAC, plumbing) to those of full-time bachelor’s degree holders. The results show that a career in the trades offers a significantly faster route to positive net investment and lower debt exposure, with lifetime earnings close to those of bachelor’s degree holders. Key findings from this study include:

Skilled trades workers reach a financial break-even point by age 19 versus age 26 for bachelor’s degree holders, nearly seven years earlier.
The total real cost of entering a trade ranges from $13,151 (HVAC) to $15,417 (electricians), versus $220,081 for a bachelor’s degree (including interest).
Average trade school debt at graduation ranges from $1,716 (plumbing) to $2,558 (HVAC), versus $30,364 for bachelor’s grads.
- Only 22–27% of trade students borrow at all, versus 85% of bachelor’s grads.
Despite the enormous cost gap, lifetime earnings land within 12% of one another: $3,121,166 in average lifetime earnings for skilled trades versus $3,538,284 for bachelor’s degree holders.
Union skilled-trades pensions average $788,749 at retirement (age 62), versus $572,563 in average employer 401(k) contributions for bachelor’s degree holders.
Skilled trades employment is projected to grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, more than double the 3% average across all occupations.

In addition, DECKED surveyed tradespeople across construction, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries. Some of the key findings include:

94% report job satisfaction, yet 78% believe Americans undervalue the trades.
83% of tradespeople say their jobs cannot be replaced by AI.
Median pay nearly doubled from respondents’ entry into the workforce to today: hourly wages up 89% (to $34/hr) and salaries up 95% (to $75,000).
Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) tradespeople graduate debt-free. Of those who borrowed, 83% paid off their trade school loans within 3 years.
44% of tradespeople believe they could not have achieved the same financial milestones (homeownership, emergency savings, living debt-free) had they gone the traditional college route instead.
Physical strain (51%) and fear that an injury could halt their ability to work (50%) were identified as the leading challenges of a career in the trades, far outranking concerns over earning potential.

DECKED will publish the survey results and economic comparison study in full later this month, along with a recap of Builder’s Day on decked.com. For now, a preview of the Built for Those Who Build video series is available on the brand’s Instagram and YouTube channels.