TRAININGFORFUTURE 2026 SKILLED TRADES OPPORTUNITY INDEX — PRESS BRIEF
Published: September 16, 2026
Research URL: https://trainingforfuture.com/research/skilled-trades-opportunity-index-2026
CSV: https://trainingforfuture.com/data/skilled-trades-opportunity-index-2026.csv
Citation guidance: https://trainingforfuture.com/cite-trainingforfuture

WHAT IT IS
TrainingForFuture's 2026 Skilled Trades Opportunity Index compares 18 skilled-trade occupations using three public U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measures: May 2025 national median annual pay, projected 2025–35 employment growth, and projected annual openings.

SCORING METHOD
40% median pay percentile
30% projected employment-growth percentile
30% projected annual-openings percentile

TOP THREE OVERALL IN THE 2026 EDITION
1. Industrial Machinery Mechanic / Millwright — score 81
2. Electrician — score 74
3. Electrical Power-Line Installer / Repairer — score 73

IMPORTANT CONTEXT
The index is a TrainingForFuture synthesis of public BLS data. It is not a BLS ranking and does not predict an individual's earnings, job security, career fit, licensing outcome or local hiring conditions. Local cost of living, licensing burden, physical demands, union coverage and personal aptitude are not included in the current score.

ATTRIBUTION
Cite BLS for individual BLS wage, employment-growth and annual-opening figures. Cite TrainingForFuture for the Opportunity Index score, rank, weighting, visualization or analysis.

ABOUT TRAININGFORFUTURE
TrainingForFuture is an independent skilled-trades career intelligence platform combining public workforce benchmarks, state and local career resources, apprenticeship pathways and personalized planning tools.

MEDIA / RESEARCH CONTACT
info@trainingforfuture.com