Best Heavy Equipment Technology Schools (2026): 80 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Heavy Equipment Technology, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Heavy Equipment Technology graduate earns $51,528/yr across 80 schools.
BLS projects 6.8% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 80 annual job openings per related program area.
All Heavy Equipment Technology Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Lexington, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
75
74–75 |
$65,743/yr | 138.7x |
| 2 |
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Lexington, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
70
68–70 |
$64,355/yr | 78.5x |
| 3 |
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
71
69–72 |
$65,535/yr | 87.9x |
| 4 |
Gateway Community and Technical College
Florence, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
76
75–76 |
$69,378/yr | 148.0x |
| 5 |
Gateway Community and Technical College
Florence, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
69
69–69 |
$66,827/yr | 70.8x |
| 6 |
Montcalm Community College
Sidney, MI · Heavy Equipment Technology |
75
74–75 |
$66,358/yr | 135.5x |
| 7 |
Dakota County Technical College
Rosemount, MN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
67
66–67 |
$67,618/yr | 58.7x |
| 8 |
Itawamba Community College
Fulton, MS · Heavy Equipment Technology |
72
71–72 |
$64,343/yr | 93.1x |
| 9 |
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
Okmulgee, OK · Heavy Equipment Technology |
67
67–67 |
$68,422/yr | 58.3x |
| 10 |
Laramie County Community College
Cheyenne, WY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
74
73–75 |
$64,226/yr | 138.2x |
| 11 |
Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Rome, GA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
73
71–73 |
$62,982/yr | 115.2x |
| 12 |
Rend Lake College
Ina, IL · Heavy Equipment Technology |
74
73–74 |
$61,677/yr | 136.1x |
| 13 |
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
Bowling Green, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
74
73–74 |
$61,026/yr | 130.1x |
| 14 |
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
Bowling Green, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
68
66–68 |
$58,717/yr | 72.7x |
| 15 |
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
73
72–73 |
$59,458/yr | 126.7x |
| 16 |
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Louisville, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
73
72–73 |
$59,047/yr | 124.5x |
| 17 |
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Louisville, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
67
67–67 |
$60,878/yr | 63.7x |
| 18 |
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, WI · Heavy Equipment Technology |
68
67–68 |
$62,438/yr | 65.1x |
| 19 |
Maysville Community and Technical College
Maysville, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
64
64–64 |
$53,655/yr | 56.6x |
| 20 |
Somerset Community College
Somerset, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
72
71–72 |
$55,793/yr | 118.8x |
| 21 |
Somerset Community College
Somerset, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
67
66–67 |
$57,318/yr | 68.5x |
| 22 |
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
73
71–73 |
$54,588/yr | 146.8x |
| 23 |
Northwood Technical College
Rice Lake, WI · Heavy Equipment Technology |
72
71–72 |
$55,793/yr | 122.3x |
| 24 |
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Owensboro, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
72
71–72 |
$56,300/yr | 119.9x |
| 25 |
South Georgia Technical College
Americus, GA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
71
66–71 |
$53,379/yr | 107.8x |
| 26 |
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis, MO · Heavy Equipment Technology |
63
63–63 |
$70,010/yr | 38.8x |
| 27 |
York Technical College
Rock Hill, SC · Heavy Equipment Technology |
64
62–64 |
$51,920/yr | 56.7x |
| 28 |
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, WI · Heavy Equipment Technology |
72
69–72 |
$49,667/yr | 138.4x |
| 29 |
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Owensboro, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
64
63–64 |
$52,193/yr | 55.0x |
| 30 |
Minnesota North College
Hibbing, MN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
70
66–71 |
$47,380/yr | 124.9x |
| 31 |
State Technical College of Missouri
Linn, MO · Heavy Equipment Technology |
61
59–61 |
$55,282/yr | 42.4x |
| 32 |
Western Technical College
La Crosse, WI · Heavy Equipment Technology |
70
68–71 |
$46,591/yr | 133.9x |
| 33 |
Athens Technical College
Athens, GA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
71
70–71 |
$47,206/yr | 151.0x |
| 34 |
College of Western Idaho
Nampa, ID · Heavy Equipment Technology |
72
70–73 |
$48,524/yr | 184.5x |
| 35 |
Maysville Community and Technical College
Maysville, KY · Heavy Equipment Technology |
67
66–67 |
$44,198/yr | 93.9x |
| 36 |
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Booneville, MS · Heavy Equipment Technology |
59
60–59 |
$45,147/yr | 48.5x |
| 37 |
Warren County Career Center
Lebanon, OH · Heavy Equipment Technology |
60
59–60 |
$70,305/yr | — |
| 38 |
Lincoln College of Technology-Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
57–59 |
$60,052/yr | — |
| 39 |
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
56–58 |
$57,632/yr | — |
| 40 |
Lincoln College of Technology-Nashville
Nashville, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
57–59 |
$60,052/yr | — |
| 41 |
San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia
Visalia, CA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
56–58 |
$55,314/yr | — |
| 42 |
San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
56–58 |
$55,314/yr | — |
| 43 |
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI · Heavy Equipment Technology |
57
54–57 |
$55,532/yr | 27.2x |
| 44 |
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson
Dickson, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
57
56–58 |
$54,320/yr | — |
| 45 |
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest
Newbern, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
57
55–57 |
$53,226/yr | — |
| 46 |
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville
Shelbyville, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
57
55–57 |
$52,115/yr | — |
| 47 |
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville
McMinnville, TN · Heavy Equipment Technology |
57
56–57 |
$53,760/yr | — |
| 48 |
San Joaquin Valley College-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
56–58 |
$55,314/yr | — |
| 49 |
Southeastern Technical College
Vidalia, GA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
66
65–66 |
$38,527/yr | 120.5x |
| 50 |
San Joaquin Valley College-Trades Education Center
Fresno, CA · Heavy Equipment Technology |
58
56–58 |
$55,314/yr | — |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 18 | $46,140/yr | 52 |
| Kentucky | 16 | $59,401/yr | 62 |
| California | 6 | $55,314/yr | 55 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | $36,791/yr | 46 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | $53,622/yr | 61 |
| Michigan | 4 | $53,063/yr | 55 |
| Georgia | 4 | $50,524/yr | 59 |
| Ohio | 3 | $51,531/yr | 53 |
| Missouri | 3 | $59,197/yr | 57 |
| Minnesota | 3 | $49,798/yr | 58 |
| Mississippi | 2 | $54,745/yr | 61 |
| Indiana | 2 | $51,133/yr | 54 |
| Wyoming | 1 | $64,226/yr | 63 |
| South Carolina | 1 | $51,920/yr | 60 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $68,422/yr | 63 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Heavy Equipment Technology Schools ranks 80 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.