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Best Trade Programs in Idaho (2026)

Top 78 of 78 programs in Idaho · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in Idaho, ranked by overall value. We scored 78 programs across Idaho trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $38,933/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in ID

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$38,933/yr

Avg TSW Score

60/100

#1 Program

Nursing

North Idaho College

Top Trade Programs in Idaho

Top 78 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Nursing North Idaho College · Coeur d'Alene, ID	89 83–89	$81,741/yr	118.2x
2	Practical Nursing North Idaho College · Coeur d'Alene, ID	85 83–86	$55,184/yr	161.5x
3	Nursing College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	88 82–88	$74,246/yr	105.4x
4	Welding & Metalworking Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	72 71–73	$64,581/yr	87.9x
5	Nursing College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	85 80–86	$65,503/yr	96.5x
6	Criminal Justice College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	84 80–85	$43,684/yr	129.9x
7	Nursing College of Eastern Idaho · Idaho Falls, ID	85 77–85	$57,062/yr	109.8x
8	Nursing Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	78 73–78	$73,524/yr	40.7x
9	Practical Nursing College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	81 77–82	$41,598/yr	185.3x
10	Nursing Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	74 68–74	$82,838/yr	—
11	Business Administration Boise State University · Boise, ID	75 71–77	$40,283/yr	44.9x
12	Practical Nursing Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	69 66–69	$54,016/yr	—
13	Vehicle Repair Technology College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	70 69–70	$44,037/yr	71.9x
14	Allied Health Professions College of Eastern Idaho · Idaho Falls, ID	80 76–81	$86,597/yr	254.4x
15	Medical Assisting North Idaho College · Coeur d'Alene, ID	73 70–73	$45,672/yr	66.2x
16	Business Administration College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	76 68–78	$34,368/yr	68.0x
17	Business Boise State University · Boise, ID	71 67–73	$36,913/yr	41.0x
18	Practical Nursing College of Eastern Idaho · Idaho Falls, ID	77 72–77	$34,787/yr	149.4x
19	Vehicle Repair Technology Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	65 63–65	$39,256/yr	55.8x
20	Vehicle Repair Technology Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	63 63–64	$52,132/yr	32.4x
21	Vehicle Repair Technology Lewis-Clark State College · Lewiston, ID	63 62–64	$46,770/yr	37.1x
22	Welding & Metalworking College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	68 67–69	$39,310/yr	140.9x
23	Welding & Metalworking College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	63 61–64	$40,029/yr	70.1x
24	Vehicle Repair Technology North Idaho College · Coeur d'Alene, ID	63 63–64	$36,909/yr	53.3x
25	Business College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	75 65–77	$31,455/yr	71.9x
26	Computer Engineering Boise State University · Boise, ID	78 70–81	$77,403/yr	87.1x
27	Criminal Justice College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	69 63–71	$30,479/yr	59.9x
28	IT Management College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	80 71–83	$39,962/yr	140.4x
29	Heavy Equipment Technology College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	72 70–73	$48,524/yr	184.5x
30	Vehicle Repair Technology College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	72 69–73	$36,676/yr	150.8x
31	Allied Health Professions College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	71 68–71	$54,939/yr	76.6x
32	Allied Health Professions College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	70 67–71	$53,281/yr	78.9x
33	Criminal Justice College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	67 60–69	$28,234/yr	61.1x
34	Allied Health Professions Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	63 61–63	$62,226/yr	36.5x
35	IT Management College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	72 61–76	$35,040/yr	78.1x
36	Medical Assisting Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	62 58–62	$40,794/yr	—
37	Medical Assisting College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	63 59–63	$32,413/yr	53.5x
38	Public Relations & Advertising Boise State University · Boise, ID	68 59–71	$43,876/yr	73.4x
39	Dental Assisting Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	59 56–60	$60,958/yr	—
40	Software Development College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	63 56–66	$33,165/yr	48.7x
41	Medical Assisting Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	58 54–59	$37,157/yr	25.1x
42	Medical Assisting Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	57 53–58	$32,932/yr	—
43	Allied Health Professions College of Eastern Idaho · Idaho Falls, ID	56 54–57	$33,617/yr	48.6x
44	Drafting & Design Technology College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	65 61–68	$48,988/yr	178.9x
45	Drafting & Design Technology College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	60 56–62	$49,508/yr	73.2x
46	Business Operations Support Brigham Young University-Idaho · Rexburg, ID	55 51–59	$27,137/yr	28.1x
47	Veterinary Technology College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	56 53–56	$35,829/yr	52.3x
48	Medical Assisting Eagle Gate College-Boise Campus · Boise, ID	53 49–53	$32,150/yr	17.2x
49	Anthropology Boise State University · Boise, ID	56 52–58	$37,781/yr	42.0x
50	Liberal Arts & Humanities College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	56 57–56	$31,439/yr	93.2x
51	Liberal Arts & Humanities College of Western Idaho · Nampa, ID	51 49–51	$30,424/yr	62.0x
52	Liberal Arts & Humanities Boise State University · Boise, ID	47 48–47	$40,886/yr	22.8x
53	Liberal Arts & Humanities College of Southern Idaho · Twin Falls, ID	47 47–47	$28,658/yr	51.4x
54	Medical Assisting Provo College-Idaho Falls Campus · Idaho Falls, ID	50 46–50	$28,640/yr	16.0x
55	Liberal Arts & Humanities College of Eastern Idaho · Idaho Falls, ID	46 48–46	$29,507/yr	42.5x
56	Liberal Arts & Humanities Lewis-Clark State College · Lewiston, ID	47 44–46	$33,138/yr	36.1x
57	Liberal Arts & Humanities North Idaho College · Coeur d'Alene, ID	50 46–50	$27,940/yr	62.2x
58	Massage Therapy Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	48 44–49	$34,434/yr	—
59	Communication & Journalism (Other) Boise State University · Boise, ID	55 46–60	$40,060/yr	68.2x
60	Romance Languages Boise State University · Boise, ID	51 46–54	$36,637/yr	40.7x
61	Cosmetology Paul Mitchell the School-Boise · Boise, ID	44 41–45	$21,620/yr	—
62	Cosmetology Paul Mitchell the School-Nampa · Nampa, ID	44 41–45	$21,620/yr	—
63	Dental Assisting Carrington College-Boise · Boise, ID	44 40–44	$26,489/yr	—
64	Cosmetology Aveda Institute-Twin Falls · Twin Falls, ID	43 40–44	$19,015/yr	—
65	Cosmetology Headmasters School of Hair Design · Lewiston, ID	43 39–44	$18,690/yr	—
66	Cosmetology Oliver Finley Academy of Cosmetology · Boise, ID	44 40–44	$20,258/yr	—
67	Cosmetology Boise Barber College · Boise, ID	43 40–44	$19,417/yr	—
68	Cosmetology The Salon Professional Academy-Nampa · Nampa, ID	43 39–43	$17,796/yr	—
69	Cosmetology Paul Mitchell the School-Rexburg · Rexburg, ID	43 39–43	$17,385/yr	—
70	Cosmetology Aveda Institute-Boise · Boise, ID	43 39–43	$17,824/yr	—
71	Cosmetology Evans Hairstyling College-Rexburg · Rexburg, ID	42 38–42	$15,508/yr	—
72	Cosmetology Paul Mitchell the School-Twin Falls · TWIN FALLS, ID	41 37–42	$11,717/yr	—
73	Cosmetology Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	40 38–41	$18,420/yr	20.6x
74	Liberal Arts & Humanities Brigham Young University-Idaho · Rexburg, ID	37 34–37	$20,404/yr	36.7x
75	Rhetoric & Writing Boise State University · Boise, ID	43 39–46	$31,148/yr	34.5x
76	Liberal Arts & Humanities Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID	36 36–36	$26,784/yr	15.6x
77	Massage Therapy Integrated Massage Therapy Services · Blackfoot, ID	37 33–38	$17,692/yr	—
78	Massage Therapy Rexburg College of Massage Therapy · Rexburg, ID	37 33–38	$17,692/yr	—

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in Idaho ranks 78 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

This ranking includes the top 78 trade programs at Idaho schools, drawn from 78 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and tuition ROI.

Only in-state tuition is used for ROI calculations. Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best trade program in Idaho?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Nursing at North Idaho College ranks #1 in Idaho with a score of 89/100 and graduate earnings of $81,741/yr.

How many trade programs are in Idaho?

Our database includes 78 trade programs across Idaho schools with reported earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2025.