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Best Trade Programs in Louisiana (2026)

Top 100 of 285 programs in Louisiana · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in Louisiana, ranked by overall value. We scored 285 programs across Louisiana trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $46,331/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in LA

285

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$46,331/yr

Avg TSW Score

69/100

#1 Program

Nursing

Bossier Parish Community College

Top Trade Programs in Louisiana

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

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Nursing Bossier Parish Community College · Bossier City, LA	85 80–86	$72,944/yr	83.3x
2	Nursing Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	85 80–85	$75,597/yr	78.5x
3	Nursing Fletcher Technical Community College · Schriever, LA	86 81–87	$76,405/yr	87.9x
4	Nursing SOWELA Technical Community College · Lake Charles, LA	85 80–86	$72,690/yr	84.2x
5	Nursing Southern University at Shreveport · Shreveport, LA	85 80–85	$78,352/yr	83.8x
6	Nursing Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	86 80–86	$74,249/yr	81.4x
7	Nursing Louisiana Delta Community College · Monroe, LA	86 81–86	$74,622/yr	83.9x
8	Nursing Louisiana State University-Eunice · Eunice, LA	84 78–84	$69,964/yr	81.8x
9	Practical Nursing Fletcher Technical Community College · Schriever, LA	83 81–84	$52,652/yr	123.8x
10	Nursing South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	84 78–84	$66,842/yr	78.4x
11	Practical Nursing Nunez Community College · Chalmette, LA	79 78–80	$44,323/yr	103.2x
12	Nursing Louisiana State University-Alexandria · Alexandria, LA	79 74–79	$71,014/yr	41.1x
13	Practical Nursing Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College · Minden, LA	79 78–80	$43,922/yr	109.6x
14	Nursing Northwestern State University of Louisiana · Natchitoches, LA	76 71–76	$68,346/yr	41.2x
15	Practical Nursing River Parishes Community College · Gonzales, LA	80 78–80	$43,978/yr	116.9x
16	Practical Nursing Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	79 76–80	$42,416/yr	118.3x
17	Nursing Louisiana Tech University · Ruston, LA	76 71–76	$75,694/yr	34.7x
18	Electrical Installation SOWELA Technical Community College · Lake Charles, LA	73 71–74	$52,083/yr	60.1x
19	Practical Nursing SOWELA Technical Community College · Lake Charles, LA	79 77–79	$43,365/yr	98.4x
20	Truck Driving & CDL Diesel Driving Academy-Shreveport · Shreveport, LA	69 67–69	$38,978/yr	—
21	Practical Nursing Healthcare Training Institute · Kenner, LA	70 68–71	$62,470/yr	—
22	Practical Nursing Louisiana Delta Community College · Monroe, LA	78 76–78	$41,570/yr	102.8x
23	Practical Nursing South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	77 75–77	$40,153/yr	101.2x
24	Practical Nursing Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	78 75–78	$40,776/yr	111.1x
25	Medical Assisting Bossier Parish Community College · Bossier City, LA	72 70–73	$49,819/yr	47.2x
26	Practical Nursing Northshore Technical Community College · Lacombe, LA	76 74–77	$38,643/yr	101.7x
27	Truck Driving & CDL Diesel Driving Academy-Baton Rouge · Baton Rouge, LA	67 65–67	$35,588/yr	—
28	Criminal Justice Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	71 66–73	$36,066/yr	53.3x
29	Practical Nursing Compass Career College · Hammond, LA	68 66–69	$53,339/yr	—
30	Medical Assisting Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	70 67–71	$45,773/yr	53.8x
31	Business Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	72 67–74	$37,206/yr	43.5x
32	Vehicle Repair Technology Northshore Technical Community College · Lacombe, LA	72 71–73	$41,225/yr	97.1x
33	Practical Nursing Delta College of Arts & Technology · Baton Rouge, LA	67 65–68	$47,526/yr	—
34	Practical Nursing Delta College Inc · Covington, LA	67 65–68	$48,157/yr	—
35	Practical Nursing Delta College of Arts & Technology-Lafayette Campus · Lafayette, LA	67 65–68	$47,526/yr	—
36	Practical Nursing Delta College-Slidell Campus · Slidell, LA	67 65–68	$48,157/yr	—
37	Allied Health Professions Bossier Parish Community College · Bossier City, LA	73 70–74	$69,595/yr	80.2x
38	Electrical Installation Fletcher Technical Community College · Schriever, LA	73 71–74	$39,762/yr	93.2x
39	Business Fletcher Technical Community College · Schriever, LA	71 67–73	$36,296/yr	42.0x
40	Electrical Installation Northshore Technical Community College · Lacombe, LA	73 71–74	$39,824/yr	93.8x
41	Vehicle Repair Technology Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	64 64–64	$40,880/yr	47.4x
42	Business Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	71 64–73	$32,498/yr	49.4x
43	Practical Nursing Fortis College-Baton Rouge · Baton Rouge, LA	66 65–67	$45,996/yr	30.9x
44	Vehicle Repair Technology Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	69 68–69	$37,769/yr	79.7x
45	Truck Driving & CDL Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College · Minden, LA	72 66–72	$24,514/yr	129.3x
46	Allied Health Professions Fletcher Technical Community College · Schriever, LA	72 69–73	$65,650/yr	76.8x
47	Electrical Installation South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	73 71–73	$38,994/yr	91.6x
48	Allied Health Professions South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	73 70–73	$66,452/yr	77.9x
49	Nursing Fortis College-Baton Rouge · Baton Rouge, LA	70 64–71	$66,276/yr	23.2x
50	IT Management Bossier Parish Community College · Bossier City, LA	71 62–74	$40,080/yr	54.9x
51	Business Bossier Parish Community College · Bossier City, LA	70 62–72	$31,184/yr	48.3x
52	Allied Health Professions Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	68 65–69	$57,847/yr	64.7x
53	Industrial Production Technology SOWELA Technical Community College · Lake Charles, LA	75 69–77	$75,239/yr	151.9x
54	Vehicle Repair Technology South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	67 66–68	$35,177/yr	82.6x
55	Allied Health Professions South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	77 73–77	$62,184/yr	146.7x
56	Industrial Production Technology Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	77 72–78	$103,572/yr	171.0x
57	Health Administration Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	68 60–70	$33,664/yr	46.4x
58	Allied Health Professions Nunez Community College · Chalmette, LA	74 71–75	$53,528/yr	89.6x
59	Business Nunez Community College · Chalmette, LA	68 64–70	$32,813/yr	39.1x
60	Allied Health Professions Louisiana State University-Eunice · Eunice, LA	68 65–68	$57,329/yr	60.4x
61	Welding & Metalworking Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	59 59–60	$32,636/yr	68.8x
62	Business SOWELA Technical Community College · Lake Charles, LA	67 63–69	$31,941/yr	36.4x
63	Allied Health Professions Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	69 64–70	$50,625/yr	76.1x
64	Criminal Justice Bossier Parish Community College · Bossier City, LA	64 62–66	$32,318/yr	34.4x
65	Allied Health Professions Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	71 68–72	$47,284/yr	92.3x
66	Vehicle Repair Technology Fletcher Technical Community College · Schriever, LA	63 63–64	$31,215/yr	73.0x
67	Industrial Production Technology River Parishes Community College · Gonzales, LA	71 64–72	$57,379/yr	131.7x
68	Electrical Installation Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	63 61–64	$30,212/yr	63.6x
69	Health Administration Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	67 62–69	$28,354/yr	58.9x
70	Business Administration Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	65 57–67	$27,509/yr	41.0x
71	Vehicle Repair Technology Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College · Minden, LA	64 62–64	$30,348/yr	82.7x
72	Criminal Justice Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	61 58–63	$29,276/yr	35.5x
73	Electromechanical Technology ITI Technical College · Baton Rouge, LA	64 59–65	$63,569/yr	64.9x
74	Health Administration Louisiana State University-Eunice · Eunice, LA	65 60–67	$26,515/yr	55.1x
75	Medical Assisting Louisiana Christian University · Pineville, LA	61 57–61	$52,843/yr	12.4x
76	Medical Assisting Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University · Baton Rouge, LA	61 57–62	$48,859/yr	17.5x
77	Criminal Justice Miller-Motte College-McCann-Monroe · Monroe, LA	61 57–63	$30,539/yr	—
78	Medical Assisting Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	66 60–67	$29,905/yr	82.7x
79	Accounting Delgado Community College · New Orleans, LA	67 61–69	$30,393/yr	68.8x
80	Industrial Production Technology Nunez Community College · Chalmette, LA	66 58–67	$45,491/yr	81.2x
81	Mining & Petroleum Technology Nicholls State University · Thibodaux, LA	57 55–58	$63,555/yr	45.1x
82	Allied Health Professions Southern University at Shreveport · Shreveport, LA	62 60–63	$47,360/yr	37.2x
83	Medical Assisting Baton Rouge Community College · Baton Rouge, LA	63 61–64	$28,935/yr	67.6x
84	Industrial Production Technology ITI Technical College · Baton Rouge, LA	59 53–60	$56,225/yr	35.5x
85	Industrial Production Technology South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	60 58–62	$44,022/yr	58.8x
86	Vehicle Repair Technology Louisiana Delta Community College · Monroe, LA	60 57–61	$26,413/yr	80.6x
87	Electromechanical Technology SOWELA Technical Community College · Lake Charles, LA	64 58–66	$51,912/yr	82.7x
88	Welding & Metalworking Northshore Technical Community College · Lacombe, LA	53 52–53	$25,818/yr	60.4x
89	IT Management Miller-Motte College-McCann-Monroe · Monroe, LA	61 53–64	$34,521/yr	—
90	Vehicle Repair Technology South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	54 54–54	$30,348/yr	35.0x
91	Welding & Metalworking South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	56 51–57	$25,471/yr	98.4x
92	Welding & Metalworking Louisiana Delta Community College · Monroe, LA	53 52–54	$26,069/yr	71.6x
93	Culinary Arts Crescent City Bartending School · New Orleans, LA	56 53–56	$13,763/yr	—
94	Electromechanical Technology ITI Technical College · Baton Rouge, LA	57 50–59	$58,261/yr	39.7x
95	Allied Health Professions Louisiana State University-Alexandria · Alexandria, LA	58 56–58	$45,894/yr	31.5x
96	Electromechanical Technology Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College · Minden, LA	68 62–70	$46,892/yr	228.7x
97	Welding & Metalworking Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College · Minden, LA	53 49–55	$23,313/yr	83.3x
98	Construction Management Technology Remington College-Lafayette Campus · Lafayette, LA	53 51–53	$26,736/yr	11.0x
99	Medical Assisting Northshore Technical Community College · Lacombe, LA	59 56–59	$25,451/yr	58.7x
100	Computer Networking South Louisiana Community College · Lafayette, LA	62 54–64	$35,328/yr	41.0x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in Louisiana 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 Louisiana schools, drawn from 285 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 Louisiana?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Nursing at Bossier Parish Community College ranks #1 in Louisiana with a score of 85/100 and graduate earnings of $72,944/yr.

How many trade programs are in Louisiana?

Our database includes 285 trade programs across Louisiana 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.