Top Trade Programs by TSW Score (2026)
48 programs ranked · Updated 2026
The best trade school programs in America, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score — combining earnings, AI resilience, job market demand, and tuition ROI.
Programs Ranked
48
Avg Earnings
$72,701/yr
Avg TSW Score
86/100
#1 Program
Ground Transportation
Johnson County Community College
Top Trade Programs by TSW Score
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | Program | TSW Score | Earnings | AI-Proof | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ground Transportation
Johnson County Community College · Overland Park, KS |
95
93–95 |
$74,114/yr | AI-Proof | 326.6x |
| 2 |
Criminal Justice
San Diego Miramar College · San Diego, CA |
93
89–95 |
$91,647/yr | Resilient | 795.9x |
| 3 |
Criminal Justice
Santa Rosa Junior College · Santa Rosa, CA |
93
89–95 |
$111,649/yr | Resilient | 707.7x |
| 4 |
Criminal Justice
San Bernardino Valley College · San Bernardino, CA |
93
89–95 |
$94,285/yr | Resilient | 382.6x |
| 5 |
Criminal Justice
Butte College · Oroville, CA |
93
88–94 |
$73,170/yr | Resilient | 630.6x |
| 6 |
Business Administration
Cerritos College · Norwalk, CA |
93
87–95 |
$56,738/yr | Moderate | 333.0x |
| 7 |
Ground Transportation
Fox Valley Technical College · Appleton, WI |
92
91–93 |
$67,999/yr | AI-Proof | 111.6x |
| 8 |
Business Administration
University of Georgia · Athens, GA |
92
83–94 |
$77,610/yr | Moderate | 100.2x |
| 9 |
Health Administration
Durham Technical Community College · Durham, NC |
92
86–95 |
$70,267/yr | Moderate | 347.7x |
| 10 |
Criminal Justice
Monroe Community College · Rochester, NY |
91
87–93 |
$85,061/yr | Resilient | 144.3x |
| 11 |
Ground Transportation
Central Lakes College-Brainerd · Brainerd, MN |
90
89–90 |
$64,164/yr | AI-Proof | 108.0x |
| 12 |
Construction Management Technology
North Hennepin Community College · Brooklyn Park, MN |
90
88–90 |
$66,902/yr | AI-Proof | 131.5x |
| 13 |
Ground Transportation
Community College of Allegheny County · Pittsburgh, PA |
90
89–90 |
$59,330/yr | AI-Proof | 121.5x |
| 14 |
Business Administration
Phoenix College · Phoenix, AZ |
90
85–92 |
$56,057/yr | Moderate | 119.9x |
| 15 |
Nursing
Glendale Community College · Glendale, AZ |
90
84–90 |
$75,418/yr | Moderate | 177.5x |
| 16 |
Nursing
GateWay Community College · Phoenix, AZ |
90
84–90 |
$74,062/yr | Moderate | 173.8x |
| 17 |
Nursing
Mesa Community College · Mesa, AZ |
90
84–90 |
$73,639/yr | Moderate | 169.5x |
| 18 |
Nursing
Mohave Community College · Kingman, AZ |
90
84–90 |
$73,774/yr | Moderate | 178.5x |
| 19 |
Ground Transportation
Hagerstown Community College · Hagerstown, MD |
89
88–89 |
$53,495/yr | AI-Proof | 114.3x |
| 20 |
Business
Indiana University-Bloomington · Bloomington, IN |
89
81–92 |
$71,550/yr | Moderate | 83.9x |
| 21 |
Construction Management Technology
Rochester Community and Technical College · Rochester, MN |
88
85–88 |
$61,196/yr | AI-Proof | 118.2x |
| 22 |
Business Administration
Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN |
88
83–90 |
$71,977/yr | Moderate | 75.6x |
| 23 |
Practical Nursing
Otero College · La Junta, CO |
88
86–89 |
$74,405/yr | AI-Proof | 167.4x |
| 24 |
Practical Nursing
Schoolcraft Community College District · Livonia, MI |
88
86–89 |
$75,104/yr | AI-Proof | 167.8x |
| 25 |
Practical Nursing
Butte College · Oroville, CA |
88
85–88 |
$65,467/yr | AI-Proof | 244.0x |
| 26 |
Practical Nursing
Alvin Community College · Alvin, TX |
88
86–89 |
$64,976/yr | AI-Proof | 353.3x |
| 27 |
Electrical Installation
City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College · Chicago, IL |
87
84–88 |
$142,516/yr | AI-Proof | 324.4x |
| 28 |
Electrical Installation
Community College of Allegheny County · Pittsburgh, PA |
87
84–88 |
$151,803/yr | AI-Proof | 312.5x |
| 29 |
Sales & Marketing
Umpqua Community College · Roseburg, OR |
86
82–88 |
$58,591/yr | Moderate | 98.2x |
| 30 |
Practical Nursing
Chattahoochee Valley Community College · Phenix City, AL |
85
83–86 |
$63,335/yr | AI-Proof | 124.7x |
| 31 |
Electrical Installation
Pierpont Community and Technical College · Fairmont, WV |
84
80–85 |
$99,033/yr | AI-Proof | 116.6x |
| 32 |
Nursing
Bishop State Community College · Mobile, AL |
84
77–84 |
$71,034/yr | Moderate | 78.7x |
| 33 |
Business Administration
Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH |
83
79–85 |
$66,278/yr | Moderate | 50.5x |
| 34 |
Culinary Arts
Southeast Community College Area · Lincoln, NE |
83
81–83 |
$36,734/yr | AI-Proof | 102.8x |
| 35 |
Vehicle Repair Technology
West Los Angeles College · Culver City, CA |
83
81–84 |
$65,978/yr | AI-Proof | 531.9x |
| 36 |
Construction Management Technology
Portland Community College · Portland, OR |
82
82–82 |
$63,103/yr | AI-Proof | 61.6x |
| 37 |
Culinary Arts
Johnson County Community College · Overland Park, KS |
82
80–83 |
$38,977/yr | AI-Proof | 85.1x |
| 38 |
Electrical Installation
Ivy Tech Community College · Indianapolis, IN |
82
79–82 |
$80,734/yr | AI-Proof | 92.1x |
| 39 |
Management Sciences
Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ |
82
76–84 |
$68,079/yr | Exposed | 55.5x |
| 40 |
Construction Management Technology
Rochester Community and Technical College · Rochester, MN |
81
79–81 |
$62,398/yr | AI-Proof | 56.9x |
| 41 |
Health Administration
Ferris State University · Big Rapids, MI |
80
75–82 |
$68,630/yr | Moderate | 49.4x |
| 42 |
Electrical Installation
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College · Johnstown, PA |
79
77–79 |
$95,230/yr | AI-Proof | 67.1x |
| 43 |
Construction Management Technology
Interactive College of Technology-Chamblee · Chamblee, GA |
78
77–78 |
$55,188/yr | AI-Proof | 47.7x |
| 44 |
Sales & Marketing
University of Missouri-Columbia · Columbia, MO |
78
75–80 |
$64,382/yr | Moderate | 44.6x |
| 45 |
Sales & Marketing
North Dakota State University-Main Campus · Fargo, ND |
78
75–80 |
$55,734/yr | Moderate | 50.3x |
| 46 |
Sales & Marketing
Weber State University · Ogden, UT |
77
75–80 |
$60,215/yr | Moderate | 46.1x |
| 47 |
Vehicle Repair Technology
Ferris State University · Big Rapids, MI |
75
71–76 |
$68,791/yr | AI-Proof | 67.3x |
| 48 |
Precision Metalworking
Ferris State University · Big Rapids, MI |
68
67–69 |
$68,852/yr | AI-Proof | 56.3x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), combining graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and tuition ROI. Earnings data is from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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.