Ground Transportation: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 49.02. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 355 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 334 | 22,868 | $49,738 | $52,118 | $9,212 114 programs |
| Associate's degree | 20 | 100 | $54,623 | $59,881 | $12,000 1 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 1 | 0 | $24,526 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Valley Technical College WI · Public · 72 graduates measured | $72,265 | $54,099 | $10,250 |
| Minnesota State College Southeast MN · Public · 26 graduates measured | $64,728 | $60,472 | $9,041 |
| Community College of Allegheny County PA · Public · 31 graduates measured | $63,193 | $69,453 | $11,595 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd MN · Public · 60 graduates measured | $62,827 | $69,894 | $9,500 |
| Hagerstown Community College MD · Public · 81 graduates measured | $61,649 | $68,810 | $4,750 |
| Pima Community College AZ · Public · 18 graduates measured | $61,563 | $46,345 | $11,381 |
| North Georgia Technical College GA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $61,520 | Data unavailable | $7,500 |
| Athens Technical College GA · Public · 28 graduates measured | $61,439 | $50,040 | $13,542 |
| Northcentral Technical College WI · Public · 18 graduates measured | $60,800 | Data unavailable | $10,021 |
| Ashland Community and Technical College KY · Public · 29 graduates measured | $59,622 | Data unavailable | $5,500 |
| Southeastern Technical College GA · Public · 42 graduates measured | $59,469 | $58,179 | $5,996 |
| Waukesha County Technical College WI · Public · 26 graduates measured | $57,961 | $67,820 | $9,500 |
| Fortis Institute-Forty Fort PA · Private, for-profit · 101 graduates measured | $57,779 | $58,249 | $6,333 |
| Fortis Institute-Scranton PA · Private, for-profit · 101 graduates measured | $57,779 | $58,249 | $6,333 |
| Gateway Community and Technical College KY · Public · 50 graduates measured | $57,070 | Data unavailable | $12,024 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania College of Technology PA · Public · 22 graduates measured | $54,938 | $62,389 | $12,000 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State University UT · Public · 19 graduates measured | $23,776 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Ground Transportation
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary | $63,820 | -0.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Logging equipment operators | $49,740 | -3.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators | $53,340 | -0.9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Pile driver operators | $73,300 | -5.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators | $59,850 | +4.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Highway maintenance workers | $50,260 | +3.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators | $70,070 | +1.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining | $57,430 | +1.0% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Earth drillers, except oil and gas | $60,190 | +3.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters | $61,390 | 0.0% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Continuous mining machine operators | $61,810 | +3.2% | No formal educational credential |
| Underground mining machine operators, all other | $70,130 | -1.0% | No formal educational credential |
| Extraction workers, all other | $57,010 | +3.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | $58,640 | +3.8% | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Light truck drivers | $44,860 | +6.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Bus drivers, school | $47,920 | +0.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity | $59,050 | +4.1% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs | $37,290 | +7.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Locomotive engineers | $81,410 | +0.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers | $60,600 | +0.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers | $68,840 | +0.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Railroad conductors and yardmasters | $78,000 | +0.9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Subway and streetcar operators | $86,380 | +3.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Rail transportation workers, all other | $56,360 | +4.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Crane and tower operators | $68,080 | +3.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Dredge operators | $49,640 | +0.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Hoist and winch operators | $56,450 | +0.2% | No formal educational credential |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators | $46,420 | +1.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Material moving workers, all other | $41,800 | +2.7% | No formal educational credential |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (7)
- 49.0202 Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
- 49.0205 Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor
- 49.0206 Mobil Crane Operator/Operation
- 49.0207 Flagging and Traffic Control
- 49.0208 Railroad and Railway Transportation
- 49.0209 Forklift Operation/Operator
- 49.0299 Ground Transportation, Other