Best Trade Schools in Salem, Oregon

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Salem. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in Oregon.


How to Get Started in Salem

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: Oregon
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Salem, Oregon

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

George Fox University

Newberg, OR 26.5 miles away BOC Score 62.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 70.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 103
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $69,145 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Western Oregon University

Monmouth, OR 11.6 miles away BOC Score 52.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 109
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,346 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Chemeketa Community College

Salem, OR 4.1 miles away BOC Score 49.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 21.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 50
  • Annual completions: 533
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,594 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

College of Hair Design Careers

Salem, OR 2.8 miles away BOC Score 46.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 69.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 61
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $30,379 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Corban University

Salem, OR 4.1 miles away BOC Score 46.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 19
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,593 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Phagans School of Beauty

Salem, OR 2.3 miles away BOC Score 46.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 35
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $31,773 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Institute of Technology

Salem, OR 3.4 miles away BOC Score 39.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 211
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,997 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Linn-Benton Community College

Albany, OR 21.7 miles away BOC Score 28.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 40
  • Annual completions: 487
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,548 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in Oregon.
# School BOC Score (0–100) Tuition Median grad earnings (all majors) Graduation rate Online Distance
1 49.9 Contact school for pricing $50,594 22% Yes* 4 mi
2 46.6 Contact school for pricing $30,379 69% 3 mi
3 46.3 Contact school for pricing $31,773 Not reported 2 mi
4 39.3 Contact school for pricing $45,997 Not reported 3 mi
5 28.6 Contact school for pricing $48,548 27% 22 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in Oregon are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in Oregon is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - Salem, OR's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Salem, OR, BLS OEWS May 2025 Radiologic technologists $101580; Medical assistants $50240; Nursing assistants $48840; Patient care technicians $48840; Phlebotomy technicians $48160.Radiologic technologists $101,580Medical assistants $50,240Nursing assistants $48,840Patient care technicians $48,840Phlebotomy technicians $48,160
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in Salem, OR
TradeMedian annual wage
Radiologic technologists$101,580
Medical assistants$50,240
Nursing assistants$48,840
Patient care technicians$48,840
Phlebotomy technicians$48,160
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Salem, Oregon
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Salem, Oregon (College Scorecard) Chemeketa Community College $50594; Linn-Benton Community College $48548; Institute of Technology $45997; Phagans School of Beauty $31773; College of Hair Design Careers $30379.Chemeketa Community College $50,594Linn-Benton Community College $48,548Institute of Technology $45,997Phagans School of Beauty $31,773College of Hair Design Careers $30,379
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Salem, Oregon
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Chemeketa Community College$50,594
Linn-Benton Community College$48,548
Institute of Technology$45,997
Phagans School of Beauty$31,773
College of Hair Design Careers$30,379

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Salem

Among the Salem, OR area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $48,160 to $101,580 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical medical assistant training runs 9-12 months (certificate or diploma) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

Oregon Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber 4.5%
Carpenter 4.5%
Welder 2.2%
Flooring Installer 9.5%
Construction Worker 7.3%

Construction Management & Inspection

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager 8.7%
Home Inspector -0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Lineworker 6.6%
Electrician 9.5%
Solar Installer 42.1%
HVAC Technician 8.1%
Wind Turbine Technician 49.9%
Tower Technician 8.6%

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Allied Health & Diagnostics

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Medical Billing & Coding Specialist 7.1%
Medical Office Administrator 4.2%

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Massage Therapist 15.4%
Occupational Therapy Assistant 19.2%
Personal Trainer 11.9%
Physical Therapy Aide 2.8%

Animal Care & Training

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Veterinary Technician 9.1%
Dog Trainer 5.1%
Veterinary Assistant 8.7%

Beauty & Personal Care

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Beauty Professional 5.6%
Cosmetologist 5.6%
Esthetician 6.7%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef 7.1%
Pastry Chef 7.1%

Business & Legal Support

Trade Job Growth (2024-2034, US)
Digital Court Reporter -0.3%
Paralegal 0.2%
Bookkeeper -5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025
Employment Projections U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS) 2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes) U.S. Department of Education latest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings) U.S. Department of Education latest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirements CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programs CareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) latest release (updated 2025-10-25)