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Best Trade Programs in Illinois (2026)

Top 100 of 404 programs in Illinois · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in Illinois, ranked by overall value. We scored 404 programs across Illinois trade schools on earnings, AI resilience, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $56,366/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in IL

404

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$56,366/yr

Avg TSW Score

77/100

#1 Program

Ground Transportation

Elgin Community College

Top Trade Programs in Illinois

Top 100 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	AI-Proof	ROI
1	Ground Transportation Elgin Community College · Elgin, IL	90 89–91	$51,945/yr	AI-Proof	192.4x
2	Ground Transportation Lincoln Land Community College · Springfield, IL	88 87–89	$49,142/yr	AI-Proof	141.2x
3	Business Administration William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	87 82–89	$59,982/yr	Moderate	77.5x
4	Electrical Installation City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College · Chicago, IL	87 84–88	$142,516/yr	AI-Proof	324.4x
5	Nursing Elgin Community College · Elgin, IL	87 82–88	$71,721/yr	Moderate	110.5x
6	Practical Nursing Illinois Central College · East Peoria, IL	83 82–84	$55,604/yr	AI-Proof	118.6x
7	Practical Nursing Olney Central College · Olney, IL	84 82–84	$56,008/yr	AI-Proof	126.6x
8	Nursing Joliet Junior College · Joliet, IL	86 79–86	$71,988/yr	Moderate	96.2x
9	Nursing College of Lake County · Grayslake, IL	85 79–85	$72,472/yr	Moderate	85.4x
10	Nursing Moraine Valley Community College · Palos Hills, IL	86 81–87	$73,137/yr	Moderate	101.4x
11	Practical Nursing Shawnee Community College · Ullin, IL	83 81–83	$54,323/yr	AI-Proof	115.8x
12	Nursing William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	86 80–87	$70,929/yr	Moderate	102.4x
13	Nursing Southwestern Illinois College · Belleville, IL	84 79–85	$65,290/yr	Moderate	89.6x
14	Nursing Carl Sandburg College · Galesburg, IL	81 76–81	$66,508/yr	Moderate	58.3x
15	Nursing City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College · Chicago, IL	84 79–85	$70,086/yr	Moderate	79.0x
16	Nursing Danville Area Community College · Danville, IL	81 76–81	$67,152/yr	Moderate	65.7x
17	Nursing College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	84 79–85	$69,105/yr	Moderate	79.0x
18	Business Administration College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	79 75–81	$46,497/yr	Moderate	52.8x
19	Nursing Illinois Central College · East Peoria, IL	83 77–83	$65,741/yr	Moderate	76.4x
20	Nursing John A Logan College · Carterville, IL	83 78–83	$67,691/yr	Moderate	73.1x
21	Nursing John Wood Community College · Quincy, IL	80 75–81	$67,467/yr	Moderate	57.9x
22	Nursing Kankakee Community College · Kankakee, IL	82 76–83	$66,261/yr	Moderate	74.7x
23	Nursing Lincoln Land Community College · Springfield, IL	85 79–86	$66,279/yr	Moderate	97.6x
24	Nursing Morton College · Cicero, IL	84 76–84	$65,090/yr	Moderate	84.3x
25	Nursing Oakton College · Des Plaines, IL	86 80–86	$69,434/yr	Moderate	96.5x
26	Nursing Prairie State College · Chicago Heights, IL	85 79–85	$68,277/yr	Moderate	88.2x
27	Nursing Richland Community College · Decatur, IL	83 78–83	$68,635/yr	Moderate	77.4x
28	Nursing Rock Valley College · Rockford, IL	86 79–86	$68,229/yr	Moderate	97.5x
29	Nursing Waubonsee Community College · Sugar Grove, IL	86 80–86	$66,440/yr	Moderate	103.9x
30	Nursing Heartland Community College · Normal, IL	80 75–81	$66,171/yr	Moderate	58.9x
31	Nursing Black Hawk College · Moline, IL	80 75–80	$61,000/yr	Moderate	59.9x
32	Plumbing City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College · Chicago, IL	82 80–82	$82,055/yr	AI-Proof	186.3x
33	Health Administration College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	86 80–89	$52,904/yr	Moderate	121.5x
34	Nursing Graham Hospital School of Nursing · Canton, IL	81 76–81	$60,300/yr	Moderate	73.9x
35	Nursing Highland Community College · Freeport, IL	81 76–82	$62,499/yr	Moderate	72.0x
36	Vehicle Repair Technology Illinois Central College · East Peoria, IL	72 72–73	$58,122/yr	AI-Proof	62.3x
37	Nursing Olney Central College · Olney, IL	82 75–83	$59,329/yr	Moderate	82.1x
38	Nursing Illinois Valley Community College · Oglesby, IL	84 77–84	$62,734/yr	Moderate	87.5x
39	Nursing Kaskaskia College · Centralia, IL	81 76–81	$63,081/yr	Moderate	66.0x
40	Nursing Lake Land College · Mattoon, IL	82 77–83	$63,651/yr	Moderate	71.9x
41	Nursing Lewis and Clark Community College · Godfrey, IL	84 78–84	$60,115/yr	Moderate	93.6x
42	Nursing Rend Lake College · Ina, IL	83 77–84	$63,852/yr	Moderate	82.9x
43	Nursing Sauk Valley Community College · Dixon, IL	79 74–80	$62,129/yr	Moderate	61.2x
44	Nursing Triton College · River Grove, IL	82 75–82	$63,003/yr	Moderate	74.5x
45	Practical Nursing Black Hawk College · Moline, IL	79 78–80	$45,993/yr	AI-Proof	88.0x
46	Vehicle Repair Technology Parkland College · Champaign, IL	70 70–71	$51,093/yr	AI-Proof	61.7x
47	Practical Nursing Rend Lake College · Ina, IL	81 80–82	$49,729/yr	AI-Proof	43.5x
48	Nursing Shawnee Community College · Ullin, IL	79 74–79	$56,641/yr	Moderate	59.9x
49	Practical Nursing Capital Area Career Center · Springfield, IL	72 72–73	$52,517/yr	AI-Proof	43.1x
50	Fire Protection Southwestern Illinois College · Belleville, IL	83 79–85	$77,935/yr	Resilient	184.2x
51	Practical Nursing Kaskaskia College · Centralia, IL	78 76–79	$43,289/yr	AI-Proof	102.6x
52	Practical Nursing Lake Land College · Mattoon, IL	78 76–78	$41,756/yr	AI-Proof	81.3x
53	Vehicle Repair Technology Lincoln Land Community College · Springfield, IL	77 76–78	$48,308/yr	AI-Proof	106.9x
54	Practical Nursing Richland Community College · Decatur, IL	78 76–78	$43,042/yr	AI-Proof	92.8x
55	Practical Nursing Ambria College of Nursing · Hoffman Estates, IL	71 68–71	$64,712/yr	AI-Proof	—
56	Practical Nursing Verve College · Oak Brook, IL	70 68–71	$63,593/yr	AI-Proof	—
57	Finance City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College · Chicago, IL	81 76–84	$45,261/yr	Exposed	102.3x
58	Practical Nursing John A Logan College · Carterville, IL	75 74–76	$39,802/yr	AI-Proof	85.0x
59	Medical Assisting Oakton College · Des Plaines, IL	74 72–75	$52,161/yr	Resilient	64.4x
60	Criminal Justice William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	72 69–73	$38,474/yr	Resilient	49.3x
61	Nursing Ambria College of Nursing · Hoffman Estates, IL	74 67–74	$75,461/yr	Moderate	—
62	Practical Nursing CAAN Academy of Nursing · Matteson, IL	69 67–70	$55,822/yr	AI-Proof	—
63	Accounting College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	83 77–86	$52,724/yr	Exposed	121.0x
64	Business Administration Joliet Junior College · Joliet, IL	74 70–76	$39,887/yr	Moderate	43.0x
65	Ground Transportation Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois · Springfield, IL	67 66–68	$36,234/yr	AI-Proof	—
66	Practical Nursing MDT College of Health Sciences · Chicago, IL	68 66–69	$54,894/yr	AI-Proof	29.0x
67	Practical Nursing Rasmussen University-Illinois · Rockford, IL	68 67–69	$45,271/yr	AI-Proof	38.8x
68	IT Management Southwestern Illinois College · Belleville, IL	77 68–80	$46,355/yr	Exposed	72.1x
69	Practical Nursing City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College · Chicago, IL	73 72–74	$36,493/yr	AI-Proof	82.3x
70	Fire Protection College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	73 70–74	$58,160/yr	Resilient	66.3x
71	Accounting College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	74 68–76	$47,775/yr	Exposed	54.3x
72	Medical Assisting Elgin Community College · Elgin, IL	76 71–76	$46,319/yr	Resilient	84.8x
73	Heavy Equipment Technology Rend Lake College · Ina, IL	74 73–74	$61,677/yr	AI-Proof	136.1x
74	Vehicle Repair Technology Rock Valley College · Rockford, IL	75 71–76	$41,625/yr	AI-Proof	177.1x
75	Practical Nursing Sauk Valley Community College · Dixon, IL	71 70–72	$36,277/yr	AI-Proof	58.6x
76	Practical Nursing William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	77 73–78	$36,528/yr	AI-Proof	140.6x
77	Nursing Rasmussen University-Illinois · Rockford, IL	72 66–72	$68,119/yr	Moderate	27.0x
78	Medical Assisting Morton College · Cicero, IL	68 64–68	$42,975/yr	Resilient	49.4x
79	Medical Assisting South Suburban College · South Holland, IL	68 66–69	$46,568/yr	Resilient	44.7x
80	Practical Nursing Career Center of Southern Illinois · Red Bud, IL	66 64–67	$45,941/yr	AI-Proof	—
81	Allied Health Professions City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College · Chicago, IL	71 68–72	$63,963/yr	Resilient	72.0x
82	Ground Transportation City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College · Chicago, IL	70 65–70	$24,356/yr	AI-Proof	79.1x
83	Medical Assisting College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	74 71–74	$40,196/yr	Resilient	92.0x
84	Medical Assisting College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	68 65–68	$42,274/yr	Resilient	47.9x
85	Criminal Justice Lewis and Clark Community College · Godfrey, IL	72 63–74	$31,763/yr	Resilient	78.1x
86	Accounting Lewis and Clark Community College · Godfrey, IL	80 73–82	$42,502/yr	Exposed	118.7x
87	Ground Transportation Shawnee Community College · Ullin, IL	64 64–65	$24,036/yr	AI-Proof	50.7x
88	Allied Health Professions William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	77 74–78	$64,113/yr	Resilient	166.7x
89	Allied Health Professions William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	75 70–76	$65,443/yr	Resilient	105.3x
90	Nursing Northwestern College · Oak Lawn, IL	70 62–71	$62,746/yr	Moderate	23.5x
91	Human Development & Family Studies City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College · Chicago, IL	67 65–69	$37,381/yr	Moderate	41.7x
92	Allied Health Professions College of DuPage · Glen Ellyn, IL	71 68–71	$62,471/yr	Resilient	71.3x
93	Allied Health Professions Joliet Junior College · Joliet, IL	68 66–69	$57,778/yr	Resilient	62.8x
94	Precision Metalworking Lewis and Clark Community College · Godfrey, IL	66 65–66	$37,195/yr	AI-Proof	104.1x
95	Electrical Repair Technology Lincoln Land Community College · Springfield, IL	73 71–74	$55,807/yr	AI-Proof	144.5x
96	Allied Health Professions Triton College · River Grove, IL	70 66–71	$62,280/yr	Resilient	71.2x
97	Health Administration William Rainey Harper College · Palatine, IL	75 69–77	$33,090/yr	Moderate	85.6x
98	Criminal Justice Rasmussen University-Illinois · Rockford, IL	66 63–68	$47,447/yr	Resilient	17.2x
99	Allied Health Professions Southwestern Illinois College · Belleville, IL	70 67–71	$57,296/yr	Resilient	74.3x
100	Medical Assisting City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College · Chicago, IL	66 63–66	$40,148/yr	Resilient	44.8x

Methodology

This ranking includes the top 100 trade programs at Illinois schools, drawn from 404 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, 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 Illinois?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Ground Transportation at Elgin Community College ranks #1 in Illinois with a score of 90/100 and graduate earnings of $51,945/yr.

How many trade programs are in Illinois?

Our database includes 404 trade programs across Illinois 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), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.