Iowa Lakes Community College

Estherville, IA · Public · 995 students · Visit Website

Iowa Lakes Community College provides hands-on career and technical training in over 50 programs, preparing students for high-demand jobs. The college emphasizes practical experience with cutting-edge tools and equipment in fields like nursing, energy systems, automotive technology, and various skilled trades such as welding and construction. Their Work-Based Learning program connects students with apprenticeships, internships, and job shadows to gain real-world experience and industry connections.

Programs Analyzed

4

Avg Grad Earnings

$46,937/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

59/100

Tuition (In-State)

$7,196/yr
Out-of-state: $7,644/yr

All Programs at Iowa Lakes Community College

4 trade programs at Iowa Lakes CC, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.

Program Score Earnings Debt 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
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75 $61,157/yr $20,426 42.2x High Very Large
292 openings/yr
Vehicle Repair Technology
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies
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60 $34,586/yr 47.1x Low Very Large
214 openings/yr
Energy Systems Technology
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians
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58 $60,039/yr 40.7x Moderate Medium
19 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
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43 $31,966/yr $11,000 25.4x Low Medium
13 openings/yr

Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.

More Trade Schools in Iowa

Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Iowa, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.

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Apprenticeship Pathways in Iowa

Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Iowa. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.

Browse all apprenticeship trades →

Trade Schools Near Estherville

Other cities in Iowa with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Estherville.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 4 trade and vocational programs at Iowa Lakes Community College using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).

The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2026.