Best Skilled Trades Programs in 2026

500 programs ranked · Updated 2026

Top skilled trades programs — construction, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, welding — ranked by overall value.

Programs Ranked
500
Avg Earnings
$48,006/yr
Avg TSW Score
72/100
#1 Program
Ground Transportation
Johnson County Community College

Best Skilled Trades Programs

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# Program TSW Score Earnings AI-Proof ROI
1 Ground Transportation
Johnson County Community College · Overland Park, KS
95
93–95
$74,114/yr AI-Proof 326.6x
2 Ground Transportation
Fox Valley Technical College · Appleton, WI
92
91–93
$67,999/yr AI-Proof 111.6x
3 Ground Transportation
Central Lakes College-Brainerd · Brainerd, MN
90
89–90
$64,164/yr AI-Proof 108.0x
4 Construction Management Technology
North Hennepin Community College · Brooklyn Park, MN
90
88–90
$66,902/yr AI-Proof 131.5x
5 Ground Transportation
Community College of Allegheny County · Pittsburgh, PA
90
89–90
$59,330/yr AI-Proof 121.5x
6 Ground Transportation
Elgin Community College · Elgin, IL
90
89–91
$51,945/yr AI-Proof 192.4x
7 Ground Transportation
Hagerstown Community College · Hagerstown, MD
89
88–89
$53,495/yr AI-Proof 114.3x
8 Construction Management Technology
Rochester Community and Technical College · Rochester, MN
88
85–88
$61,196/yr AI-Proof 118.2x
9 Ground Transportation
Lincoln Land Community College · Springfield, IL
88
87–89
$49,142/yr AI-Proof 141.2x
10 Ground Transportation
Waukesha County Technical College · Pewaukee, WI
88
86–88
$50,682/yr AI-Proof 119.8x
11 Ground Transportation
Cape Fear Community College · Wilmington, NC
88
87–89
$46,329/yr AI-Proof 167.6x
12 Ground Transportation
Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR
88
87–89
$45,980/yr AI-Proof 160.0x
13 Construction Management Technology
Cabrillo College · Aptos, CA
88
86–88
$47,566/yr AI-Proof 373.5x
14 Ground Transportation
Chattanooga State Community College · Chattanooga, TN
87
86–87
$48,579/yr AI-Proof 107.6x
15 Ground Transportation
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College · Valdosta, GA
87
86–88
$45,696/yr AI-Proof 114.7x
16 Ground Transportation
Central Georgia Technical College · Warner Robins, GA
87
85–88
$43,652/yr AI-Proof 167.5x
17 Ground Transportation
West Georgia Technical College · Waco, GA
87
85–88
$43,072/yr AI-Proof 179.5x
18 Ground Transportation
Davidson-Davie Community College · Thomasville, NC
87
85–88
$41,081/yr AI-Proof 327.5x
19 Electrical Installation
City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College · Chicago, IL
87
84–88
$142,516/yr AI-Proof 324.4x
20 Electrical Installation
Community College of Allegheny County · Pittsburgh, PA
87
84–88
$151,803/yr AI-Proof 312.5x
21 Ground Transportation
Bevill State Community College · Jasper, AL
86
85–86
$47,167/yr AI-Proof 104.5x
22 Electrical Installation
Trinidad State College · Trinidad, CO
86
82–87
$73,424/yr AI-Proof 217.7x
23 Electrical Installation
Kennebec Valley Community College · Fairfield, ME
86
82–86
$70,166/yr AI-Proof 247.8x
24 Electrical Installation
Richmond Community College · Hamlet, NC
86
82–87
$73,774/yr AI-Proof 210.1x
25 Electrical Installation
Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR
86
83–87
$71,039/yr AI-Proof 283.4x
26 Ground Transportation
South Georgia Technical College · Americus, GA
85
84–85
$42,551/yr AI-Proof 95.2x
27 Ground Transportation
Chattahoochee Technical College · Marietta, GA
85
83–86
$40,590/yr AI-Proof 147.1x
28 Ground Transportation
Athens Technical College · Athens, GA
85
83–85
$40,571/yr AI-Proof 126.9x
29 Electrical Installation
Northwest Iowa Community College · Sheldon, IA
85
81–86
$78,118/yr AI-Proof 155.1x
30 Electrical Installation
Western Texas College · Snyder, TX
85
82–86
$68,077/yr AI-Proof 209.1x
31 Ground Transportation
State Technical College of Missouri · Linn, MO
84
82–84
$50,941/yr AI-Proof 75.2x
32 Ground Transportation
Alexandria Technical & Community College · Alexandria, MN
84
83–84
$48,587/yr AI-Proof 82.1x
33 Ground Transportation
Hazard Community and Technical College · Hazard, KY
84
83–84
$43,818/yr AI-Proof 93.1x
34 Ground Transportation
North Arkansas College · Harrison, AR
84
83–84
$39,576/yr AI-Proof 124.1x
35 Electrical Installation
Pierpont Community and Technical College · Fairmont, WV
84
80–85
$99,033/yr AI-Proof 116.6x
36 Electrical Installation
Augusta Technical College · Augusta, GA
84
82–85
$67,147/yr AI-Proof 97.3x
37 Electrical Installation
Spokane Community College · Spokane, WA
84
81–85
$66,921/yr AI-Proof 164.0x
38 Electrical Installation
Chippewa Valley Technical College · Eau Claire, WI
84
79–85
$60,950/yr AI-Proof 197.8x
39 Ground Transportation
Southern Crescent Technical College · Griffin, GA
83
82–83
$37,668/yr AI-Proof 116.7x
40 Vehicle Repair Technology
West Los Angeles College · Culver City, CA
83
81–84
$65,978/yr AI-Proof 531.9x
41 Electrical Installation
Bluegrass Community and Technical College · Lexington, KY
83
81–84
$66,544/yr AI-Proof 140.4x
42 Electrical Installation
Metropolitan Community College Area · Omaha, NE
83
78–84
$64,751/yr AI-Proof 143.4x
43 Electrical Installation
Hillsborough Community College · Tampa, FL
83
80–83
$54,584/yr AI-Proof 216.8x
44 Construction Management Technology
Portland Community College · Portland, OR
82
82–82
$63,103/yr AI-Proof 61.6x
45 Ground Transportation
Minnesota State College Southeast · Winona, MN
82
80–82
$47,171/yr AI-Proof 70.2x
46 Ground Transportation
Riverland Community College · Austin, MN
82
81–82
$45,619/yr AI-Proof 72.0x
47 Electrical Installation
Ivy Tech Community College · Indianapolis, IN
82
79–82
$80,734/yr AI-Proof 92.1x
48 Ground Transportation
Meridian Community College · Meridian, MS
82
81–82
$38,766/yr AI-Proof 99.5x
49 Ground Transportation
Albany Technical College · Albany, GA
82
81–83
$36,946/yr AI-Proof 126.9x
50 Electrical Installation
Dakota County Technical College · Rosemount, MN
82
78–83
$63,839/yr AI-Proof 123.1x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), combining graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and tuition ROI. Earnings data is from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.