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Best Trade Programs in South Carolina (2026)

Top 100 of 192 programs in South Carolina · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in South Carolina, ranked by overall value. We scored 192 programs across South Carolina trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $47,362/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in SC

192

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$47,362/yr

Avg TSW Score

70/100

#1 Program

Nursing

Aiken Technical College

Top Trade Programs in South Carolina

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

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Nursing Aiken Technical College · Graniteville, SC	83 78–84	$72,146/yr	70.5x
2	Nursing Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	82 77–82	$72,879/yr	63.6x
3	Nursing Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College · Orangeburg, SC	84 78–84	$72,237/yr	67.0x
4	Nursing Tri-County Technical College · Pendleton, SC	85 80–85	$73,667/yr	84.4x
5	Practical Nursing York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	82 80–82	$54,238/yr	103.9x
6	Nursing Technical College of the Lowcountry · Beaufort, SC	82 75–82	$66,628/yr	69.3x
7	Nursing Northeastern Technical College · Cheraw, SC	81 75–81	$68,001/yr	59.0x
8	Nursing Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	83 77–84	$66,034/yr	81.3x
9	Nursing Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	83 78–84	$70,571/yr	77.3x
10	Practical Nursing Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College · Orangeburg, SC	82 80–82	$51,754/yr	90.3x
11	Nursing Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	83 78–84	$69,883/yr	78.3x
12	Nursing Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	83 78–83	$70,419/yr	74.5x
13	Nursing Central Carolina Technical College · Sumter, SC	81 76–81	$68,914/yr	59.9x
14	Nursing Trident Technical College · Charleston, SC	83 78–83	$67,607/yr	73.1x
15	Nursing York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	82 76–82	$68,550/yr	68.2x
16	Truck Driving & CDL Miller-Motte College-Charleston · Charleston, SC	72 71–73	$46,909/yr	—
17	Truck Driving & CDL Miller-Motte College-Conway · Conway, SC	72 71–73	$46,909/yr	—
18	Practical Nursing Northeastern Technical College · Cheraw, SC	78 77–79	$47,544/yr	84.6x
19	Practical Nursing Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	80 78–80	$46,823/yr	80.6x
20	Practical Nursing Tri-County Technical College · Pendleton, SC	83 80–83	$49,100/yr	138.5x
21	Business Administration Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	75 71–77	$44,362/yr	39.8x
22	Practical Nursing Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	77 76–78	$42,734/yr	88.2x
23	Nursing University of South Carolina-Lancaster · Lancaster, SC	76 72–76	$65,139/yr	42.1x
24	Criminal Justice York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	73 69–74	$44,401/yr	43.7x
25	Welding & Metalworking York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	71 70–71	$50,309/yr	89.8x
26	Practical Nursing Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	76 75–77	$40,724/yr	93.8x
27	Welding & Metalworking Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	71 69–71	$47,556/yr	98.3x
28	Business Administration York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	74 70–76	$43,096/yr	38.5x
29	Business Administration Tri-County Technical College · Pendleton, SC	73 69–75	$38,336/yr	44.0x
30	Criminal Justice Tri-County Technical College · Pendleton, SC	70 65–71	$35,726/yr	49.6x
31	Vehicle Repair Technology Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	72 68–73	$40,140/yr	101.3x
32	Medical Assisting Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	69 65–69	$43,389/yr	52.9x
33	Nursing Fortis College-Columbia · Columbia, SC	71 66–72	$69,200/yr	25.0x
34	Vehicle Repair Technology Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	63 59–64	$38,952/yr	47.3x
35	Culinary Arts Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	65 58–65	$24,466/yr	46.8x
36	Medical Assisting Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	67 65–68	$43,709/yr	44.6x
37	Welding & Metalworking Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	63 63–64	$38,147/yr	76.1x
38	Heavy Equipment Technology York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	64 62–64	$51,920/yr	56.7x
39	Allied Health Professions Aiken Technical College · Graniteville, SC	69 66–69	$62,216/yr	60.7x
40	Medical Assisting Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	66 63–66	$43,962/yr	41.3x
41	Business Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	71 67–73	$36,679/yr	33.9x
42	Business Administration Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	70 61–72	$31,245/yr	47.6x
43	Accounting Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	69 63–72	$41,233/yr	48.9x
44	Criminal Justice Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	66 61–68	$32,721/yr	43.9x
45	Business Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	69 63–71	$33,486/yr	42.2x
46	Allied Health Professions Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	69 65–70	$59,412/yr	65.3x
47	Electrical Repair Technology York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	72 70–72	$58,025/yr	104.3x
48	Business Strayer University-South Carolina · Greenville, SC	69 62–71	$44,154/yr	19.1x
49	Welding & Metalworking Florence-Darlington Technical College · Florence, SC	61 61–62	$34,948/yr	80.1x
50	Welding & Metalworking Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	62 58–63	$34,761/yr	84.5x
51	Allied Health Professions Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	67 64–67	$59,685/yr	46.9x
52	Criminal Justice Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	66 60–68	$30,840/yr	46.3x
53	Allied Health Professions Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College · Orangeburg, SC	67 64–67	$55,857/yr	55.2x
54	Welding & Metalworking Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	63 60–64	$34,928/yr	94.4x
55	Electrical Repair Technology Tri-County Technical College · Pendleton, SC	68 63–69	$51,891/yr	80.0x
56	Criminal Justice Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	64 60–66	$33,307/yr	35.3x
57	HVAC Technology Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	68 67–68	$50,802/yr	96.0x
58	Health Administration Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	67 59–69	$34,794/yr	40.9x
59	Welding & Metalworking Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	60 59–61	$33,002/yr	72.9x
60	Allied Health Professions Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	66 63–67	$51,730/yr	53.5x
61	Dental Assisting Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	66 64–66	$56,771/yr	58.3x
62	Allied Health Professions Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	65 62–66	$50,643/yr	57.2x
63	Allied Health Professions Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	66 62–66	$50,683/yr	58.4x
64	Business Administration Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	67 61–70	$31,087/yr	39.8x
65	Health Administration Central Carolina Technical College · Sumter, SC	67 62–69	$30,472/yr	52.3x
66	IT Management Strayer University-South Carolina · Greenville, SC	68 61–71	$61,810/yr	20.1x
67	Allied Health Professions Technical College of the Lowcountry · Beaufort, SC	64 61–64	$51,808/yr	46.1x
68	Electromechanical Technology Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	72 69–74	$77,150/yr	135.8x
69	Allied Health Professions Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	71 67–71	$48,292/yr	96.3x
70	Accounting Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	66 61–69	$41,619/yr	37.9x
71	Electrical Installation Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	66 64–67	$32,356/yr	71.4x
72	Dental Assisting Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	66 63–66	$52,297/yr	65.4x
73	HVAC Technology Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	69 66–69	$46,803/yr	122.6x
74	Vehicle Repair Technology Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	61 61–62	$30,639/yr	63.0x
75	Allied Health Professions Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	72 68–73	$47,834/yr	118.8x
76	Allied Health Professions Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	71 68–71	$48,434/yr	95.0x
77	Welding & Metalworking Central Carolina Technical College · Sumter, SC	57 56–57	$32,196/yr	55.3x
78	Business York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	66 62–68	$33,870/yr	29.7x
79	Entrepreneurship York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	69 64–71	$31,868/yr	56.8x
80	Culinary Arts Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	61 58–61	$26,268/yr	27.0x
81	Electromechanical Technology Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	65 62–66	$70,688/yr	66.6x
82	Medical Assisting Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	65 63–66	$31,912/yr	65.7x
83	Sales & Marketing Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	63 56–66	$28,150/yr	46.7x
84	Medical Assisting Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	65 62–65	$32,200/yr	60.9x
85	Allied Health Professions York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	62 59–63	$47,111/yr	46.6x
86	Accounting York Technical College · Rock Hill, SC	67 62–70	$33,177/yr	59.2x
87	Medical Assisting Technical College of the Lowcountry · Beaufort, SC	63 60–63	$31,348/yr	56.0x
88	Electrical Engineering Technology Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	64 60–65	$69,797/yr	60.9x
89	Business Operations Support Greenville Technical College · Greenville, SC	61 57–64	$35,672/yr	31.9x
90	Allied Health Professions Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	69 65–69	$42,533/yr	99.9x
91	Horticulture Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	59 58–60	$29,260/yr	28.0x
92	Electromechanical Technology Spartanburg Community College · Spartanburg, SC	64 62–65	$65,388/yr	63.8x
93	Criminal Justice Miller-Motte College-Charleston · Charleston, SC	61 57–63	$30,539/yr	—
94	Criminal Justice Miller-Motte College-Conway · Conway, SC	61 57–63	$30,539/yr	—
95	HVAC Technology Horry-Georgetown Technical College · Conway, SC	66 63–66	$40,480/yr	121.4x
96	Electrical Engineering Technology Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College · Orangeburg, SC	68 61–70	$67,406/yr	92.8x
97	Electromechanical Technology Tri-County Technical College · Pendleton, SC	63 60–64	$58,406/yr	64.7x
98	Medical Assisting Aiken Technical College · Graniteville, SC	64 57–64	$27,979/yr	73.8x
99	Human Development & Family Studies Midlands Technical College · West Columbia, SC	61 58–63	$24,352/yr	56.8x
100	Electromechanical Technology Piedmont Technical College · Greenwood, SC	61 58–63	$53,518/yr	62.0x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in South Carolina 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 South Carolina schools, drawn from 192 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 South Carolina?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Nursing at Aiken Technical College ranks #1 in South Carolina with a score of 83/100 and graduate earnings of $72,146/yr.

How many trade programs are in South Carolina?

Our database includes 192 trade programs across South Carolina 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.