Best Trade Programs in Texas (2026)
Top 100 of 979 programs in Texas · Updated 2026
The best trade school programs in Texas, ranked by overall value. We scored 979 programs across Texas trade schools on earnings, AI resilience, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $59,144/yr in graduate earnings.
Programs in TX
979
Avg Earnings (Top 100)
$59,144/yr
Avg TSW Score
85/100
#1 Program
Criminal Justice
Laredo College
Top Trade Programs in Texas
Top 100 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.
| # | Program | TSW Score | Earnings | AI-Proof | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Criminal Justice
Laredo College · Laredo, TX |
92
88–94 |
$72,049/yr | Resilient | 239.8x |
| 2 |
Criminal Justice
Lamar Institute of Technology · Beaumont, TX |
92
88–94 |
$71,733/yr | Resilient | 287.6x |
| 3 |
Criminal Justice
Alvin Community College · Alvin, TX |
92
87–93 |
$67,797/yr | Resilient | 368.7x |
| 4 |
Practical Nursing
Alvin Community College · Alvin, TX |
88
86–89 |
$64,976/yr | AI-Proof | 353.3x |
| 5 |
Criminal Justice
Blinn College District · Brenham, TX |
88
85–90 |
$61,585/yr | Resilient | 133.5x |
| 6 |
Criminal Justice
Galveston College · Galveston, TX |
90
86–92 |
$61,086/yr | Resilient | 210.1x |
| 7 |
Criminal Justice
Austin Community College District · Austin, TX |
89
85–91 |
$55,230/yr | Resilient | 261.9x |
| 8 |
Criminal Justice
Houston Community College · Houston, TX |
90
85–91 |
$56,454/yr | Resilient | 278.3x |
| 9 |
Criminal Justice
Wharton County Junior College · Wharton, TX |
89
85–91 |
$55,919/yr | Resilient | 213.3x |
| 10 |
Nursing
Alvin Community College · Alvin, TX |
90
84–91 |
$75,294/yr | Moderate | 236.2x |
| 11 |
Criminal Justice
Amarillo College · Amarillo, TX |
88
83–89 |
$48,916/yr | Resilient | 265.1x |
| 12 |
Practical Nursing
Angelina College · Lufkin, TX |
85
83–86 |
$54,637/yr | AI-Proof | 172.5x |
| 13 |
Nursing
Blinn College District · Brenham, TX |
86
79–86 |
$72,895/yr | Moderate | 90.8x |
| 14 |
Nursing
Central Texas College · Killeen, TX |
88
82–88 |
$75,319/yr | Moderate | 123.3x |
| 15 |
Nursing
Clarendon College · Clarendon, TX |
86
81–87 |
$72,350/yr | Moderate | 93.4x |
| 16 |
Nursing
Del Mar College · Corpus Christi, TX |
87
81–87 |
$70,673/yr | Moderate | 109.5x |
| 17 |
Nursing
Dallas College · Dallas, TX |
89
83–89 |
$70,630/yr | Moderate | 158.7x |
| 18 |
Nursing
El Paso Community College · El Paso, TX |
89
83–89 |
$79,996/yr | Moderate | 117.2x |
| 19 |
Nursing
Grayson College · Denison, TX |
89
83–89 |
$73,793/yr | Moderate | 141.1x |
| 20 |
Nursing
Howard College · Big Spring, TX |
89
83–89 |
$74,542/yr | Moderate | 140.0x |
| 21 |
Nursing
Lamar State College-Port Arthur · Port Arthur, TX |
91
85–91 |
$78,580/yr | Moderate | 221.0x |
| 22 |
Nursing
Laredo College · Laredo, TX |
89
83–89 |
$78,162/yr | Moderate | 139.5x |
| 23 |
Nursing
Lee College · Baytown, TX |
90
84–90 |
$72,164/yr | Moderate | 201.0x |
| 24 |
Nursing
College of the Mainland · Texas City, TX |
90
84–91 |
$74,310/yr | Moderate | 243.4x |
| 25 |
Nursing
Lone Star College System · The Woodlands, TX |
89
83–89 |
$77,795/yr | Moderate | 138.2x |
| 26 |
Nursing
Odessa College · Odessa, TX |
89
83–89 |
$72,138/yr | Moderate | 122.5x |
| 27 |
Nursing
Paris Junior College · Paris, TX |
90
84–90 |
$78,821/yr | Moderate | 151.8x |
| 28 |
Criminal Justice
San Antonio College · San Antonio, TX |
87
84–89 |
$52,557/yr | Resilient | 153.0x |
| 29 |
Nursing
San Jacinto Community College · Pasadena, TX |
90
84–91 |
$71,118/yr | Moderate | 224.9x |
| 30 |
Criminal Justice
South Plains College · Levelland, TX |
88
83–89 |
$49,987/yr | Resilient | 192.7x |
| 31 |
Nursing
Tarrant County College District · Fort Worth, TX |
90
84–91 |
$72,069/yr | Moderate | 226.0x |
| 32 |
Nursing
Temple College · Temple, TX |
88
82–89 |
$72,579/yr | Moderate | 138.2x |
| 33 |
Nursing
Vernon College · Vernon, TX |
86
80–86 |
$71,856/yr | Moderate | 92.9x |
| 34 |
Nursing
Weatherford College · Weatherford, TX |
86
80–86 |
$78,873/yr | Moderate | 88.8x |
| 35 |
Nursing
Wharton County Junior College · Wharton, TX |
89
83–89 |
$78,791/yr | Moderate | 136.0x |
| 36 |
Nursing
Collin County Community College District · McKinney, TX |
90
84–91 |
$72,584/yr | Moderate | 217.9x |
| 37 |
Criminal Justice
South Texas College · McAllen, TX |
84
80–85 |
$49,125/yr | Resilient | 98.8x |
| 38 |
Nursing
South Texas College · McAllen, TX |
85
79–85 |
$75,733/yr | Moderate | 84.8x |
| 39 |
Electrical Installation
Texas State Technical College · Waco, TX |
79
74–80 |
$76,445/yr | AI-Proof | 70.6x |
| 40 |
Nursing
Texas State Technical College · Waco, TX |
80
76–81 |
$79,324/yr | Moderate | 55.3x |
| 41 |
Nursing
Amarillo College · Amarillo, TX |
88
82–89 |
$64,713/yr | Moderate | 165.6x |
| 42 |
Nursing
Angelina College · Lufkin, TX |
87
81–88 |
$68,900/yr | Moderate | 125.8x |
| 43 |
Nursing
Austin Community College District · Austin, TX |
88
82–89 |
$68,125/yr | Moderate | 147.8x |
| 44 |
Practical Nursing
Austin Community College District · Austin, TX |
84
82–85 |
$50,186/yr | AI-Proof | 204.1x |
| 45 |
Nursing
North Central Texas College · Gainesville, TX |
88
82–88 |
$65,491/yr | Moderate | 144.3x |
| 46 |
Business Administration
Dallas College · Dallas, TX |
90
84–92 |
$46,874/yr | Moderate | 217.4x |
| 47 |
Nursing
Galveston College · Galveston, TX |
89
81–89 |
$64,806/yr | Moderate | 174.0x |
| 48 |
Practical Nursing
Hill College · Hillsboro, TX |
84
82–84 |
$51,385/yr | AI-Proof | 142.9x |
| 49 |
Nursing
Houston Community College · Houston, TX |
90
83–90 |
$66,743/yr | Moderate | 248.7x |
| 50 |
Nursing
Kilgore College · Kilgore, TX |
89
82–89 |
$65,971/yr | Moderate | 181.9x |
Methodology
This ranking includes the top 100 trade programs at Texas schools, drawn from 979 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, 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 Texas?
By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Criminal Justice at Laredo College ranks #1 in Texas with a score of 92/100 and graduate earnings of $72,049/yr.
How many trade programs are in Texas?
Our database includes 979 trade programs across Texas 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), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.