Trade School Job Placement Rates: Employment After Graduation (2026 stats)
TL;DR
92.2% of recent certificate graduates were working (and not enrolled in more school) a year after finishing, in EDsmart Data's analysis of 6,127 College Scorecard certificate programs. The strongest fields, led by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, place 99.2% of graduates in work. No federal dataset tracks job placement in the field of study, so this is the closest public measure.
Key Facts
- Certificate graduates working after 1 year: 92.2%
- Associate graduates working after 1 year: 95.0%
- Top certificate field: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (99.2%)
- Median trade school, 8 years after entry: 82.3%
Download the data
Downloads reflect the processed dataset used on this page.
Trade school employment rates by field, one year after completion
Protective services certificates lead
In our analysis, Protective services certificates have the highest employment rate (96.4%), and Personal and culinary services the lowest (87.0%).
Share of the Scorecard earnings cohort working and not enrolled, among graduates not enrolled in further school. Weighted by cohort size.
Top 25 certificate programs by employment rate after one year
Certificate fields with at least 10 reporting programs nationwide.
| Field of study | Employment rate | Year-1 earnings | Median debt | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 99.2% | $65,041 | $26,750 | 35 |
| Fire Protection | 98.9% | $46,660 | $9,750 | 25 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 98.8% | $58,382 | $27,000 | 20 |
| Geography and Cartography | 98.0% | $40,962 | $22,750 | 14 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 97.2% | $75,635 | $27,000 | 41 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | 97.2% | $46,830 | $17,317 | 644 |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | 96.2% | $49,667 | $9,500 | 49 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 95.9% | $43,235 | $11,808 | 157 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 95.8% | $45,599 | $16,048 | 257 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | 95.3% | $41,022 | $12,444 | 21 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 94.9% | $42,611 | $9,500 | 13 |
| Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | 94.7% | $19,217 | $7,680 | 10 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 94.1% | $28,038 | $12,358 | 28 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 93.8% | $34,908 | $16,930 | 11 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | 93.7% | $35,905 | $13,875 | 270 |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications | 93.6% | $38,028 | $9,500 | 25 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 93.5% | $23,402 | $9,500 | 307 |
| Precision Metal Working | 93.3% | $31,821 | $9,500 | 300 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | 93.1% | $26,106 | $9,500 | 591 |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | 93.0% | $34,220 | $13,000 | 59 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | 92.9% | $36,261 | $12,727 | 163 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 92.2% | $31,071 | $3,167 | 79 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 91.7% | $18,896 | $21,000 | 10 |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 91.7% | $25,638 | $7,343 | 49 |
| Ground Transportation | 91.5% | $46,909 | $6,333 | 92 |
Certificate fields with the lowest employment rates
| Field of study | Employment rate | Year-1 earnings | Median debt | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature, General | 79.9% | $22,950 | $18,712 | 11 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 84.6% | $56,833 | $10,941 | 11 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 85.6% | $24,195 | $9,500 | 10 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | 85.7% | $22,759 | $11,093 | 54 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | 86.3% | $25,094 | $9,500 | 90 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 86.8% | $32,649 | $11,750 | 20 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | 87.0% | $17,113 | $10,667 | 1,033 |
| Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services | 87.2% | $29,497 | $9,500 | 17 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 87.8% | $27,413 | $9,705 | 67 |
| Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services | 88.6% | $20,801 | $9,375 | 193 |
Top 25 trade schools by employment rate 8 years after entry
Institution-level rate for all federal-aid students who enrolled, 8 years later. The median trade school is at 82.3%.
| School | City | State | Employment rate | Earnings 10 yrs after entry | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing | Pittsburgh | PA | 100.0% | $56,487 | 164 |
| 2. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science | Rochester | MN | 99.1% | $79,652 | 309 |
| 3. Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing | Pottsville | PA | 97.7% | $86,138 | 100 |
| 4. Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing | Lafayette | IN | 96.7% | $65,230 | 145 |
| 5. Capital Area Career Center | Springfield | IL | 95.9% | $55,357 | 161 |
| 6. Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health | Lubbock | TX | 94.7% | $78,724 | 360 |
| 7. UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing | Pittsburgh | PA | 94.5% | $68,801 | 715 |
| 8. Tri-Rivers Career Center | Marion | OH | 94.0% | $48,707 | 151 |
| 9. UPMC Mercy School of Nursing | Pittsburgh | PA | 93.9% | $68,337 | 308 |
| 10. Applied Tech | Sunset Hills | MO | 93.6% | $56,508 | 172 |
| 11. Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences | Reading | PA | 93.5% | $74,572 | 294 |
| 12. University of Southern Indiana | Evansville | IN | 93.4% | $47,605 | 5,292 |
| 13. Baptist Health College Little Rock | Little Rock | AR | 93.3% | $62,244 | 569 |
| 14. Citizens School of Nursing | Tarentum | PA | 93.2% | $69,939 | 152 |
| 15. Verve College | Oak Brook | IL | 93.1% | — | 176 |
| 16. Homestead Schools | Torrance | CA | 93.0% | $59,398 | 157 |
| 17. California Career Institute | Anaheim | CA | 92.6% | — | 628 |
| 18. Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing | Falls Church | VA | 92.6% | — | 730 |
| 19. The Salon Professional Academy-Kenosha | Kenosha | WI | 92.6% | $24,941 | 130 |
| 20. Hondros College of Nursing | Columbus | OH | 92.5% | $58,636 | 3,857 |
| 21. California Nurses Educational Institute | Rancho Mirage | CA | 92.2% | $46,895 | 200 |
| 22. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts | San Jose | CA | 92.2% | $66,844 | 3,421 |
| 23. Perry Technical Institute | Yakima | WA | 92.0% | $57,764 | 1,072 |
| 24. Butler Technology and Career Development Schools | Monroe | OH | 92.0% | $56,645 | 596 |
| 25. Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting | Nashville | TN | 91.9% | $62,978 | 805 |
What the data shows
Most certificate graduates find work quickly: 92.2% were employed and out of school a year after finishing in our analysis. Differences between fields are larger than differences between schools, so the program you choose matters most.
This is an employment rate, not a placement-in-field rate. A welding graduate working in retail counts as employed. Pair it with program earnings: fields where graduates earn well above minimum wage are more likely to be placing them in the trade.
Methodology
Program figures come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: one record per institution × 4-digit CIP code × credential level. Earnings are median annual earnings of federal-aid recipients who completed the program and were working and not enrolled, measured 1, 4, and 5 years after completion (in the dollar year of the Scorecard release). Debt is the median federal loan balance (Stafford and Grad PLUS) at completion; private loans and Parent PLUS are excluded. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and drop out of each column.
Employment rate = graduates working and not enrolled ÷ (working and not enrolled + not working and not enrolled), from the Scorecard year-1 earnings cohort. Programs with fewer than 10 graduates in that cohort are excluded, and field figures are weighted by cohort size. The school table uses Scorecard's institution-level rate 8 years after entry for all federal-aid students, including those who did not finish.
Graduate-only health fields (dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and similar) are excluded, as are health certificates at bachelor's- or graduate-predominant universities, which are usually post-degree credentials (such as nurse anesthesia) rather than entry-level training.
Frequently asked questions
What is the job placement rate for trade schools?
There is no federal placement rate. The closest public measure is College Scorecard's share of graduates working a year after completion: 92.2% for certificate programs and 95.0% for associate programs, in our analysis.
Which trade school programs have the best employment rates?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (99.2%) and Fire Protection (98.9%) lead certificate fields with at least 10 programs reporting.
Why not use the placement rates schools advertise?
Schools calculate advertised placement rates in different ways, often counting any job. The federal measure uses tax records for every aid recipient, so it can be compared across schools, though it does not check whether the job is in the field studied.
What does 'working and not enrolled' mean?
Graduates count as working if they had earnings above a minimum threshold (roughly full-time minimum wage for a quarter of the year) and were not enrolled in more school. The rate divides them by everyone not enrolled.
Data sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard institution and field-of-study files (latest release in our extract)