Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Waterloo. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in Iowa.
Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)
Compare Trade Schools Near Waterloo, Iowa
We could not confirm enough colleges teaching this subject within range of this
location, so the list below shows nearby institutions instead. Confirm with each
school that it offers the program before you apply.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 8 schools
within 44 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
8 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from
federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings
are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single
trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in Iowa.
Schools closest to the main population center in Iowa are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in Iowa is shown for reference.
The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation,
earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within
each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it.
*Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is
completed in person. Read the full methodology.
Median Annual Wage by Trade - Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA's most-employed tradesTrades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
Trade
Median annual wage
Plumbers
$62,200
HVAC technicians
$60,400
Truck drivers
$58,730
Dental assistants
$47,970
Culinary workers
$44,610
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Waterloo, IowaSource: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Waterloo, Iowa
School
Median graduate earnings
Marshalltown Community College
$52,110
Hawkeye Community College
$49,163
La James International College-Cedar Falls
$34,559
Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Waterloo
Among the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $44,610 to $62,200 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (TradeCareerPath program data).
Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.
Outcome figures such as graduation, completion, and job placement rates are reported by schools and by federal data sources, reflect prior student cohorts, and are not a prediction or promise of future results. Individual outcomes may vary.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
Data sources
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
Data
Provider
Vintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
