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Best Trade Programs in New Jersey (2026)

Top 100 of 283 programs in New Jersey · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in New Jersey, ranked by overall value. We scored 283 programs across New Jersey trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $50,293/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in NJ

283

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$50,293/yr

Avg TSW Score

70/100

#1 Program

Criminal Justice

Camden County College

Top Trade Programs in New Jersey

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

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Criminal Justice Camden County College · Blackwood, NJ	90 85–91	$59,298/yr	195.5x
2	Practical Nursing Essex County College · Newark, NJ	84 83–85	$62,448/yr	115.8x
3	Nursing Atlantic Cape Community College · Mays Landing, NJ	85 79–86	$73,336/yr	87.2x
4	Nursing Bergen Community College · Paramus, NJ	88 80–89	$76,147/yr	116.3x
5	Nursing Brookdale Community College · Lincroft, NJ	85 78–85	$80,574/yr	80.7x
6	Nursing Rowan College at Burlington County · Mount Laurel, NJ	84 78–85	$71,796/yr	81.8x
7	Nursing Camden County College · Blackwood, NJ	87 81–88	$76,681/yr	107.9x
8	Nursing Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus · Vineland, NJ	86 78–86	$71,929/yr	90.1x
9	Nursing Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus · Sewell, NJ	86 78–86	$71,929/yr	90.1x
10	Nursing Hudson County Community College · Jersey City, NJ	86 81–87	$92,941/yr	92.6x
11	Nursing Mercer County Community College · West Windsor, NJ	84 79–84	$74,795/yr	72.6x
12	Nursing Ocean County College · Toms River, NJ	86 81–86	$82,925/yr	89.7x
13	Nursing Salem Community College · Carneys Point, NJ	81 76–82	$74,062/yr	59.2x
14	Nursing Raritan Valley Community College · Branchburg, NJ	85 79–85	$82,020/yr	80.1x
15	Nursing UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ · Cranford, NJ	86 80–87	$82,581/yr	91.2x
16	Practical Nursing UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ · Cranford, NJ	84 82–84	$57,957/yr	118.9x
17	Nursing Essex County College · Newark, NJ	86 77–86	$70,500/yr	91.0x
18	Nursing Middlesex College · Edison, NJ	86 79–86	$69,896/yr	93.4x
19	Practical Nursing Eastwick College-Hackensack · Hackensack, NJ	72 70–72	$58,986/yr	38.8x
20	Nursing Holy Name Medical Center-Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing · Englewood Cliffs, NJ	76 70–76	$78,831/yr	38.6x
21	Medical Assisting Essex County College · Newark, NJ	73 69–73	$54,592/yr	56.3x
22	Practical Nursing MCVSD · Freehold, NJ	70 68–71	$62,124/yr	—
23	Criminal Justice Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus · Vineland, NJ	77 73–78	$38,144/yr	71.7x
24	Criminal Justice Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus · Sewell, NJ	77 73–78	$38,144/yr	71.7x
25	Business Raritan Valley Community College · Branchburg, NJ	76 66–78	$38,387/yr	55.3x
26	Nursing Jersey College · Teterboro, NJ	74 68–74	$79,852/yr	—
27	Practical Nursing Jersey College · Teterboro, NJ	69 67–70	$55,950/yr	—
28	Practical Nursing Universal Training Institute · Perth Amboy, NJ	69 67–70	$58,535/yr	—
29	Practical Nursing Lincoln Technical Institute-Iselin · Iselin, NJ	69 66–69	$54,390/yr	—
30	Practical Nursing Holy Name Medical Center-Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing · Englewood Cliffs, NJ	69 68–70	$62,684/yr	23.8x
31	Business Passaic County Community College · Paterson, NJ	73 64–75	$35,905/yr	48.9x
32	Business Administration Thomas Edison State University · Trenton, NJ	74 70–76	$45,973/yr	33.6x
33	Medical Assisting UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ · Cranford, NJ	72 67–73	$48,332/yr	58.6x
34	Practical Nursing Lincoln Technical Institute-Moorestown · Moorestown, NJ	69 66–69	$54,390/yr	—
35	Nursing Eastern International College-Jersey City · Jersey City, NJ	72 67–73	$90,216/yr	25.5x
36	Practical Nursing Lincoln Technical Institute-Paramus · Paramus, NJ	69 66–69	$54,390/yr	—
37	Business Administration Camden County College · Blackwood, NJ	76 66–78	$33,780/yr	71.5x
38	Practical Nursing Prism Career Institute-Cherry Hill · Cherry Hill, NJ	68 65–68	$49,653/yr	—
39	Practical Nursing Prism Career Institute-West Atlantic City · West Atlantic City, NJ	68 65–68	$49,653/yr	—
40	Practical Nursing Ocean County Vocational-Technical School · Toms River, NJ	68 65–68	$49,629/yr	—
41	Nursing Best Care College · East Orange, NJ	72 66–73	$64,864/yr	—
42	Culinary Arts Atlantic Cape Community College · Mays Landing, NJ	67 66–67	$31,639/yr	31.5x
43	Allied Health Professions Bergen Community College · Paramus, NJ	74 70–75	$72,486/yr	84.6x
44	Allied Health Professions Rowan College at Burlington County · Mount Laurel, NJ	74 71–75	$81,015/yr	79.6x
45	Business Administration Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus · Vineland, NJ	72 63–74	$33,605/yr	48.8x
46	Business Administration Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus · Sewell, NJ	72 63–74	$33,605/yr	48.8x
47	Criminal Justice Middlesex College · Edison, NJ	69 62–71	$32,712/yr	53.6x
48	Business Administration Middlesex College · Edison, NJ	73 64–76	$33,090/yr	59.9x
49	Allied Health Professions Brookdale Community College · Lincroft, NJ	70 66–71	$65,905/yr	64.3x
50	Business Administration Brookdale Community College · Lincroft, NJ	71 62–73	$33,473/yr	44.8x
51	Allied Health Professions County College of Morris · Randolph, NJ	68 65–68	$66,060/yr	54.3x
52	Business Administration Essex County College · Newark, NJ	71 62–73	$32,638/yr	48.2x
53	Allied Health Professions Hudson County Community College · Jersey City, NJ	70 67–70	$64,320/yr	63.1x
54	Allied Health Professions Middlesex College · Edison, NJ	73 68–73	$64,174/yr	83.2x
55	IT Management Brookdale Community College · Lincroft, NJ	69 59–73	$40,282/yr	48.5x
56	Criminal Justice UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ · Cranford, NJ	66 58–68	$30,629/yr	48.1x
57	Business Strayer University-New Jersey · Piscataway, NJ	69 62–71	$44,154/yr	19.1x
58	Practical Nursing Best Care College · East Orange, NJ	64 62–65	$40,687/yr	—
59	Dental Assisting Bergen Community College · Paramus, NJ	69 66–69	$62,663/yr	66.0x
60	Allied Health Professions Bergen Community College · Paramus, NJ	74 71–75	$56,999/yr	118.8x
61	Allied Health Professions Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus · Vineland, NJ	69 64–70	$54,623/yr	71.7x
62	Allied Health Professions Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus · Sewell, NJ	69 64–70	$54,623/yr	71.7x
63	Culinary Arts Hudson County Community College · Jersey City, NJ	63 59–64	$26,170/yr	34.6x
64	Business Administration Hudson County Community College · Jersey City, NJ	68 64–70	$34,810/yr	33.7x
65	Dental Assisting Middlesex College · Edison, NJ	70 65–70	$59,451/yr	76.1x
66	Criminal Justice Brookdale Community College · Lincroft, NJ	64 57–66	$30,595/yr	42.1x
67	Criminal Justice Camden County College · Blackwood, NJ	65 58–68	$27,603/yr	60.0x
68	Criminal Justice Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus · Vineland, NJ	64 57–67	$28,991/yr	46.7x
69	Criminal Justice Essex County College · Newark, NJ	65 59–67	$31,908/yr	40.7x
70	Criminal Justice Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus · Sewell, NJ	64 57–67	$28,991/yr	46.7x
71	Business Administration Mercer County Community College · West Windsor, NJ	67 63–69	$33,785/yr	32.2x
72	Business Administration Ocean County College · Toms River, NJ	67 60–69	$29,330/yr	42.6x
73	Business UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ · Cranford, NJ	64 56–67	$27,225/yr	51.2x
74	IT Management Strayer University-New Jersey · Piscataway, NJ	68 61–71	$61,810/yr	20.1x
75	Practical Nursing Berkeley College-Woodland Park · Woodland Park, NJ	62 61–63	$46,611/yr	12.3x
76	Criminal Justice Rowan College at Burlington County · Mount Laurel, NJ	63 55–65	$27,775/yr	48.5x
77	Criminal Justice Ocean County College · Toms River, NJ	63 56–65	$27,321/yr	49.0x
78	Criminal Justice Sussex County Community College · Newton, NJ	64 59–66	$32,079/yr	36.7x
79	Practical Nursing Healthcare Training Institute · Union, NJ	61 59–62	$35,361/yr	—
80	Vehicle Repair Technology Universal Technical Institute-Bloomfield · Bloomfield, NJ	59 57–59	$40,469/yr	—
81	Dental Assisting Camden County College · Blackwood, NJ	64 61–64	$47,009/yr	58.8x
82	Health Administration Eastwick College-Nutley · Nutley, NJ	64 59–67	$37,622/yr	25.5x
83	Business Administration Sussex County Community College · Newton, NJ	64 55–67	$27,166/yr	44.3x
84	Welding & Metalworking Universal Technical Institute-Bloomfield · Bloomfield, NJ	53 52–54	$39,141/yr	—
85	Dental Assisting Fortis Institute-Wayne · Wayne, NJ	61 57–61	$70,276/yr	—
86	Electrical Installation Lincoln Technical Institute-Iselin · Iselin, NJ	59 56–60	$37,554/yr	—
87	Business Administration County College of Morris · Randolph, NJ	61 53–63	$25,607/yr	44.8x
88	Welding & Metalworking Lincoln Technical Institute-South Plainfield · South Plainfield, NJ	52 51–53	$37,249/yr	—
89	Criminal Justice Passaic County Community College · Paterson, NJ	65 57–67	$23,559/yr	76.4x
90	Vehicle Repair Technology Pennco Tech-Blackwood · Blackwood, NJ	57 55–57	$36,800/yr	—
91	Medical Assisting Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ	61 57–62	$50,530/yr	15.4x
92	Welding & Metalworking Lincoln Technical Institute-Mahwah · Mahwah, NJ	52 51–53	$37,249/yr	—
93	Health Administration Advantage Career Institute · Eatontown, NJ	63 57–66	$33,808/yr	—
94	Allied Health Professions Fortis Institute-Wayne · Wayne, NJ	60 56–60	$54,855/yr	—
95	Vehicle Repair Technology Lincoln Technical Institute-South Plainfield · South Plainfield, NJ	56 54–57	$35,905/yr	—
96	Vehicle Repair Technology Lincoln Technical Institute-Union · Union, NJ	56 54–57	$35,905/yr	—
97	Liberal Arts & Humanities Thomas Edison State University · Trenton, NJ	57 57–57	$50,524/yr	46.0x
98	Vehicle Repair Technology Lincoln Technical Institute-Mahwah · Mahwah, NJ	56 54–57	$35,905/yr	—
99	Vehicle Repair Technology Ocean County Vocational-Technical School · Toms River, NJ	55 54–56	$34,603/yr	—
100	Culinary Arts Eastwick College-Hackensack · Hackensack, NJ	58 55–58	$29,123/yr	7.6x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in New Jersey 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 New Jersey schools, drawn from 283 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 New Jersey?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Criminal Justice at Camden County College ranks #1 in New Jersey with a score of 90/100 and graduate earnings of $59,298/yr.

How many trade programs are in New Jersey?

Our database includes 283 trade programs across New Jersey 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.