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Best Trade Programs in Massachusetts (2026)

Top 100 of 184 programs in Massachusetts · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in Massachusetts, ranked by overall value. We scored 184 programs across Massachusetts trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $54,493/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in MA

184

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$54,493/yr

Avg TSW Score

72/100

#1 Program

Practical Nursing

Mount Wachusett Community College

Top Trade Programs in Massachusetts

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

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Practical Nursing Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	84 82–85	$62,720/yr	118.2x
2	Truck Driving & CDL New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts · North Andover, MA	74 72–74	$51,761/yr	—
3	Nursing Bristol Community College · Fall River, MA	82 77–83	$70,855/yr	69.9x
4	Nursing Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	84 77–84	$72,734/yr	77.7x
5	Nursing Greenfield Community College · Greenfield, MA	82 77–83	$75,914/yr	65.0x
6	Practical Nursing Greenfield Community College · Greenfield, MA	82 81–83	$56,658/yr	100.7x
7	Nursing Holyoke Community College · Holyoke, MA	83 77–83	$73,404/yr	72.3x
8	Nursing Massasoit Community College · Brockton, MA	85 78–85	$72,980/yr	82.0x
9	Nursing Middlesex Community College · Bedford, MA	82 77–82	$75,351/yr	61.3x
10	Nursing Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	82 77–82	$74,618/yr	65.0x
11	Nursing North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	83 78–83	$72,803/yr	72.6x
12	Practical Nursing North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	84 81–85	$55,336/yr	131.6x
13	Nursing Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	84 77–84	$74,427/yr	74.5x
14	Nursing Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	83 77–83	$74,992/yr	70.5x
15	Practical Nursing Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	81 80–82	$54,629/yr	90.4x
16	Nursing Roxbury Community College · Roxbury Crossing, MA	85 76–86	$71,794/yr	86.7x
17	Nursing Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	83 78–84	$75,769/yr	72.6x
18	Nursing Berkshire Community College · Pittsfield, MA	83 76–83	$69,083/yr	74.7x
19	Practical Nursing Berkshire Community College · Pittsfield, MA	83 78–84	$49,764/yr	132.3x
20	Criminal Justice Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	75 71–77	$47,573/yr	49.8x
21	Nursing Cape Cod Community College · West Barnstable, MA	81 75–81	$65,350/yr	66.3x
22	Practical Nursing Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	80 79–81	$50,770/yr	88.3x
23	Business Administration Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	76 69–78	$42,028/yr	47.2x
24	Practical Nursing Greater Lowell Technical School · Tyngsboro, MA	71 69–72	$67,281/yr	—
25	Practical Nursing Shawsheen Valley School of Practical Nursing · Billerica, MA	72 69–72	$72,230/yr	—
26	Practical Nursing Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School District · Charlton, MA	71 69–72	$67,498/yr	—
27	Criminal Justice Massachusetts Bay Community College · Wellesley Hills, MA	73 70–74	$45,144/yr	43.4x
28	Business Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	75 69–77	$42,825/yr	43.6x
29	Fire Protection North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	78 75–80	$90,948/yr	84.0x
30	Business Administration Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	76 72–78	$46,439/yr	39.8x
31	Business Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	75 69–77	$42,618/yr	43.0x
32	Practical Nursing Southeastern Technical Institute · South Easton, MA	70 68–71	$62,482/yr	—
33	Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	81 76–83	$48,013/yr	86.0x
34	Criminal Justice Middlesex Community College · Bedford, MA	71 67–73	$41,796/yr	42.3x
35	Practical Nursing Mildred Elley-Pittsfield Campus · Pittsfield, MA	70 70–70	$55,424/yr	33.0x
36	Nursing Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing · Brockton, MA	73 67–73	$69,052/yr	—
37	Practical Nursing Diman Regional Technical Institute · Fall River, MA	69 66–70	$55,341/yr	—
38	Vehicle Repair Technology Massachusetts Bay Community College · Wellesley Hills, MA	65 63–66	$43,602/yr	48.4x
39	Business Administration Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	74 70–75	$43,503/yr	37.4x
40	Criminal Justice Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	70 66–72	$40,039/yr	41.2x
41	Business Administration Roxbury Community College · Roxbury Crossing, MA	73 68–75	$41,032/yr	39.3x
42	Practical Nursing Blue Hills Regional Technical School · Canton, MA	69 66–69	$54,098/yr	—
43	Practical Nursing Charles H McCann Technical School · North Adams, MA	69 66–69	$54,802/yr	—
44	Practical Nursing Monty Tech · Fitchburg, MA	69 66–69	$53,902/yr	—
45	Practical Nursing Tri County Regional Vocational Technical High School · Franklin, MA	69 66–69	$53,693/yr	—
46	Criminal Justice Bristol Community College · Fall River, MA	69 64–71	$36,706/yr	44.5x
47	Business Bristol Community College · Fall River, MA	72 64–74	$35,815/yr	45.9x
48	Electrical Repair Technology Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	75 73–75	$118,053/yr	105.9x
49	Medical Assisting Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	74 71–75	$44,141/yr	79.0x
50	Business Administration Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	73 63–75	$34,817/yr	49.8x
51	Criminal Justice Holyoke Community College · Holyoke, MA	70 64–72	$37,533/yr	45.2x
52	Criminal Justice Massasoit Community College · Brockton, MA	70 64–72	$36,927/yr	46.0x
53	Business Administration Middlesex Community College · Bedford, MA	73 64–75	$36,446/yr	45.5x
54	Medical Assisting Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	74 71–75	$45,300/yr	77.0x
55	Criminal Justice Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	70 66–72	$39,426/yr	42.0x
56	Teacher Education Urban College of Boston · Boston, MA	71 69–72	$39,213/yr	45.4x
57	Business Administration Bristol Community College · Fall River, MA	71 62–73	$32,452/yr	52.8x
58	Allied Health Professions Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	72 69–73	$75,659/yr	67.3x
59	Allied Health Professions Greenfield Community College · Greenfield, MA	77 74–78	$73,151/yr	124.9x
60	Criminal Justice University of Massachusetts-Lowell · Lowell, MA	70 68–72	$49,078/yr	22.4x
61	Business Administration Massachusetts Bay Community College · Wellesley Hills, MA	70 61–72	$32,202/yr	51.0x
62	Business Administration Massasoit Community College · Brockton, MA	71 67–73	$38,255/yr	38.0x
63	Medical Assisting North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	68 65–69	$44,926/yr	48.3x
64	Health Administration Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	75 69–78	$37,514/yr	72.1x
65	Allied Health Professions Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	69 67–70	$69,051/yr	54.7x
66	Health Administration Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	76 67–79	$35,298/yr	86.4x
67	Allied Health Professions Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	76 73–77	$66,980/yr	121.4x
68	Allied Health Professions Massachusetts Bay Community College · Wellesley Hills, MA	75 72–76	$64,025/yr	90.2x
69	Criminal Justice North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	67 60–70	$32,379/yr	50.5x
70	Allied Health Professions Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	70 67–71	$67,610/yr	63.7x
71	Criminal Justice Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	68 64–69	$37,044/yr	39.3x
72	Allied Health Professions Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	69 66–70	$64,346/yr	62.0x
73	Computer Networking Bunker Hill Community College · Boston, MA	71 63–73	$53,145/yr	47.1x
74	Vehicle Repair Technology National Aviation Academy of New England · Concord, MA	61 59–62	$45,801/yr	—
75	Business Administration Holyoke Community College · Holyoke, MA	70 62–72	$33,500/yr	42.1x
76	Nursing Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing · Medford, MA	69 63–70	$75,598/yr	14.7x
77	Allied Health Professions Middlesex Community College · Bedford, MA	68 65–69	$63,037/yr	57.8x
78	Dental Assisting Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	68 65–68	$68,670/yr	49.8x
79	Medical Assisting Mount Wachusett Community College · Gardner, MA	66 63–67	$44,710/yr	40.2x
80	Allied Health Professions North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	70 66–71	$62,934/yr	68.1x
81	Medical Assisting Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	70 67–71	$38,885/yr	72.7x
82	Dental Assisting Quinsigamond Community College · Worcester, MA	67 65–67	$66,252/yr	55.1x
83	Health Administration Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	69 64–71	$40,062/yr	37.4x
84	Clinical Laboratory Science Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	67 65–68	$66,182/yr	58.9x
85	Allied Health Professions Holyoke Community College · Holyoke, MA	65 63–66	$57,058/yr	48.1x
86	Allied Health Professions Massasoit Community College · Brockton, MA	69 64–69	$56,929/yr	65.4x
87	Accounting Northern Essex Community College · Haverhill, MA	68 58–72	$37,960/yr	53.0x
88	Dental Assisting Cape Cod Community College · West Barnstable, MA	64 61–64	$54,903/yr	50.3x
89	Nursing Laboure College of Healthcare · Milton, MA	67 61–68	$69,451/yr	11.1x
90	Health Administration North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	67 59–69	$33,638/yr	42.3x
91	Nursing Regis College · Weston, MA	67 61–68	$79,113/yr	8.8x
92	Mechanical Engineering Technology Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	64 61–65	$54,793/yr	56.1x
93	Dental Assisting Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	65 62–65	$56,883/yr	56.3x
94	Electrical Installation Motoring Technical Training Institute · Seekonk, MA	62 59–63	$43,145/yr	—
95	Clinical Laboratory Science Middlesex Community College · Bedford, MA	62 61–63	$55,924/yr	45.2x
96	Human Development & Family Studies North Shore Community College · Danvers, MA	64 61–65	$34,978/yr	36.4x
97	Medical Assisting Springfield Technical Community College · Springfield, MA	63 60–64	$38,844/yr	39.5x
98	Construction Management Technology Motoring Technical Training Institute · Seekonk, MA	59 57–59	$26,989/yr	—
99	Information Sciences Bristol Community College · Fall River, MA	67 55–69	$34,193/yr	47.2x
100	Dental Assisting Bristol Community College · Fall River, MA	62 59–62	$48,308/yr	49.5x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts schools, drawn from 184 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 Massachusetts?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Practical Nursing at Mount Wachusett Community College ranks #1 in Massachusetts with a score of 84/100 and graduate earnings of $62,720/yr.

How many trade programs are in Massachusetts?

Our database includes 184 trade programs across Massachusetts 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.