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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, 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

Truck Driving & CDL

Elgin Community College

Top Trade Programs in Illinois

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

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

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in Illinois ranks 100 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 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, 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, Truck Driving & CDL 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). Last updated 2025.