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Best Trade Programs in New Mexico (2026)

Top 100 of 123 programs in New Mexico · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in New Mexico, ranked by overall value. We scored 123 programs across New Mexico trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $39,309/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in NM

123

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$39,309/yr

Avg TSW Score

68/100

#1 Program

Nursing

Central New Mexico Community College

Top Trade Programs in New Mexico

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

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Nursing Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	90 84–91	$74,923/yr	211.1x
2	Nursing New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	90 84–90	$78,510/yr	172.3x
3	Nursing Clovis Community College · Clovis, NM	90 84–91	$73,387/yr	260.2x
4	Nursing New Mexico Junior College · Hobbs, NM	90 84–91	$71,456/yr	272.0x
5	Nursing University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus · Gallup, NM	89 83–90	$71,767/yr	166.8x
6	Nursing University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM	79 73–80	$71,767/yr	52.3x
7	Nursing Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	91 85–91	$78,510/yr	341.1x
8	Nursing New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM	79 74–79	$78,510/yr	48.4x
9	Nursing University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus · Los Lunas, NM	90 84–91	$71,767/yr	229.1x
10	Criminal Justice San Juan College · Farmington, NM	88 84–90	$49,243/yr	274.1x
11	Nursing Santa Fe Community College · Santa Fe, NM	90 84–91	$79,098/yr	180.7x
12	Nursing University of New Mexico-Taos Campus · Ranchos de Taos, NM	90 84–91	$71,767/yr	214.7x
13	Nursing San Juan College · Farmington, NM	90 83–90	$67,860/yr	225.6x
14	Vehicle Repair Technology New Mexico Junior College · Hobbs, NM	80 78–80	$52,024/yr	179.6x
15	Teacher Education San Juan College · Farmington, NM	85 82–86	$44,618/yr	248.3x
16	Business Administration Santa Fe Community College · Santa Fe, NM	84 78–86	$39,834/yr	116.2x
17	Business Administration Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	83 76–86	$37,010/yr	128.5x
18	Nursing Carrington College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	74 67–74	$76,515/yr	—
19	Practical Nursing Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	68 66–69	$52,838/yr	—
20	Criminal Justice Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	78 74–80	$35,865/yr	109.0x
21	Welding & Metalworking Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	69 68–70	$42,162/yr	121.6x
22	Business Administration Brookline College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	72 66–74	$42,749/yr	—
23	Culinary Arts Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	69 66–70	$23,139/yr	70.9x
24	Medical Assisting Clovis Community College · Clovis, NM	78 74–79	$41,422/yr	166.5x
25	Vehicle Repair Technology Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	71 68–71	$36,594/yr	116.1x
26	Allied Health Professions Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	76 72–77	$57,486/yr	161.7x
27	Accounting Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	78 71–81	$40,511/yr	118.6x
28	Business New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	76 68–78	$30,628/yr	85.4x
29	Business New Mexico State University-Alamogordo · Alamogordo, NM	74 67–77	$30,628/yr	75.7x
30	Business Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	80 74–82	$30,628/yr	169.6x
31	Business New Mexico State University-Grants · Grants, NM	77 69–79	$30,628/yr	92.9x
32	Medical Assisting Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	65 61–66	$49,969/yr	—
33	Human Development & Family Studies Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	72 68–74	$31,256/yr	93.0x
34	Practical Nursing Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	74 71–75	$30,137/yr	221.7x
35	Allied Health Professions New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	74 71–75	$56,196/yr	114.6x
36	Allied Health Professions New Mexico State University-Alamogordo · Alamogordo, NM	74 70–74	$56,196/yr	101.6x
37	Allied Health Professions Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	77 73–78	$56,196/yr	227.3x
38	Allied Health Professions New Mexico State University-Grants · Grants, NM	75 71–76	$56,196/yr	124.7x
39	Medical Assisting San Juan College · Farmington, NM	76 70–76	$37,239/yr	148.8x
40	Allied Health Professions Santa Fe Community College · Santa Fe, NM	76 72–77	$53,695/yr	249.3x
41	Teacher Education Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	71 68–72	$29,708/yr	83.5x
42	Criminal Justice New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	70 63–71	$27,638/yr	78.6x
43	Criminal Justice New Mexico State University-Alamogordo · Alamogordo, NM	68 62–70	$27,638/yr	69.7x
44	Criminal Justice Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	75 69–76	$27,638/yr	156.2x
45	Criminal Justice New Mexico State University-Grants · Grants, NM	70 64–72	$27,638/yr	85.6x
46	Allied Health Professions San Juan College · Farmington, NM	73 70–74	$48,862/yr	123.5x
47	Health Administration Brookline College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	66 59–68	$37,061/yr	—
48	Information Sciences Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	77 65–79	$34,156/yr	129.3x
49	Health Administration New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	67 62–69	$27,876/yr	59.2x
50	Business Administration University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus · Gallup, NM	66 61–68	$25,698/yr	48.9x
51	Business Administration University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus · Los Alamos, NM	68 63–70	$25,698/yr	57.0x
52	Health Administration Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	74 68–76	$27,876/yr	117.9x
53	Business Administration University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus · Los Lunas, NM	70 65–72	$25,698/yr	67.4x
54	Business Administration University of New Mexico-Taos Campus · Ranchos de Taos, NM	69 64–71	$25,698/yr	63.1x
55	Criminal Justice Brookline College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	62 57–63	$31,295/yr	—
56	Welding & Metalworking New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	58 53–60	$27,920/yr	108.6x
57	Welding & Metalworking Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	62 59–63	$27,920/yr	215.3x
58	Welding & Metalworking New Mexico State University-Grants · Grants, NM	59 54–60	$27,920/yr	118.1x
59	Allied Health Professions New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM	61 59–61	$56,196/yr	32.0x
60	Health Administration Brookline College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	63 56–65	$32,951/yr	—
61	Dental Assisting Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	59 55–59	$56,300/yr	—
62	Allied Health Professions Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	59 55–60	$53,558/yr	—
63	Business New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM	62 56–64	$30,628/yr	23.6x
64	Health Administration San Juan College · Farmington, NM	65 60–67	$24,055/yr	66.2x
65	Practical Nursing Brookline College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	57 55–58	$29,376/yr	—
66	Teacher Education University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus · Gallup, NM	59 54–61	$20,646/yr	53.7x
67	Teacher Education University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus · Los Alamos, NM	61 56–63	$20,646/yr	62.6x
68	Teacher Education University of New Mexico-Valencia County Campus · Los Lunas, NM	63 58–65	$20,646/yr	74.0x
69	Veterinary Technology San Juan College · Farmington, NM	69 64–69	$43,730/yr	129.9x
70	Teacher Education University of New Mexico-Taos Campus · Ranchos de Taos, NM	62 57–64	$20,646/yr	69.3x
71	Health Administration Carrington College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	60 54–62	$29,076/yr	—
72	Health Administration Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	59 52–61	$27,251/yr	—
73	Criminal Justice New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM	56 51–58	$27,638/yr	21.7x
74	Medical Assisting Carrington College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	55 51–55	$29,556/yr	—
75	Medical Assisting Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	55 50–55	$29,432/yr	—
76	Welding & Metalworking New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM	44 41–46	$27,920/yr	30.2x
77	Business Administration University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM	56 51–58	$25,698/yr	14.8x
78	Liberal Arts & Humanities Luna Community College · Las Vegas, NM	61 61–61	$32,091/yr	266.0x
79	Medical Assisting Brookline College-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	53 49–54	$27,966/yr	—
80	Liberal Arts & Humanities Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	56 55–56	$31,097/yr	94.6x
81	Health Administration New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM	55 49–57	$27,876/yr	16.2x
82	Dental Assisting Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	62 57–62	$27,816/yr	183.9x
83	Electromechanical Technology Mesalands Community College · Tucumcari, NM	57 54–59	$35,517/yr	82.1x
84	Veterinary Technology Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	51 46–51	$37,570/yr	—
85	Clinical Laboratory Science Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque · Albuquerque, NM	49 46–50	$34,373/yr	—
86	Data Processing New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	59 53–61	$38,559/yr	77.8x
87	Data Processing Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	64 57–66	$38,559/yr	154.6x
88	Data Processing New Mexico State University-Grants · Grants, NM	60 54–62	$38,559/yr	84.7x
89	Veterinary Technology Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	55 51–55	$28,323/yr	72.4x
90	Liberal Arts & Humanities New Mexico State University-Dona Ana · Las Cruces, NM	50 50–50	$27,868/yr	69.7x
91	Liberal Arts & Humanities New Mexico Junior College · Hobbs, NM	54 54–54	$27,179/yr	116.0x
92	Teacher Education University of New Mexico-Main Campus · Albuquerque, NM	49 45–51	$20,646/yr	16.3x
93	Liberal Arts & Humanities New Mexico State University-Alamogordo · Alamogordo, NM	49 49–49	$27,868/yr	61.7x
94	Liberal Arts & Humanities Southeast New Mexico College · Carlsbad, NM	56 56–56	$27,868/yr	138.5x
95	Liberal Arts & Humanities New Mexico State University-Grants · Grants, NM	51 51–51	$27,868/yr	75.8x
96	Cosmetology Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	51 44–51	$16,496/yr	63.0x
97	Criminology Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	60 51–63	$28,987/yr	127.5x
98	Psychology Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	58 49–60	$25,675/yr	93.2x
99	Health Sciences Central New Mexico Community College · Albuquerque, NM	56 47–58	$28,933/yr	129.4x
100	Liberal Arts & Humanities University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus · Gallup, NM	45 42–45	$22,417/yr	60.9x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in New Mexico 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 Mexico schools, drawn from 123 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 Mexico?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Nursing at Central New Mexico Community College ranks #1 in New Mexico with a score of 90/100 and graduate earnings of $74,923/yr.

How many trade programs are in New Mexico?

Our database includes 123 trade programs across New Mexico 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.