State-Level Apprenticeship Programs for High-Growth Trades in 2023
Analyze apprenticeship data across 51 states, highlighting California's 89000 active apprentices and Texas's 18500 new enrollments, focusing on top occupations like electricians and plumbers with completion rates up to 58.2%.
Research period:
Research Question
How do apprenticeship programs vary across the 51 states in terms of active apprentices, completion rates, and top occupations, particularly for trades with growth rates above 5.9%?
Methodology
Selected from apprenticeship_states table for all 51 rows, extracting state, active_apprentices, completion_rate, and top_occupations columns; aggregated by state and filtered for programs with completion rates over 55%; cross-referenced top_occupations with apprenticeship_occupations table to include growth_rate_pct for relevant trades.
Findings
89,000 Active Apprentices in California
California leads the nation with 89,000 active apprentices across 3,100 registered training programs.DOL, Registered Apprenticeship Data California State Data shows a 58.2% completion rate, with starting wages of $18.50/hr climbing to $34.20/hr on completion and 22,000 new apprentices added in the latest fiscal year. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, iron workers, and sheet metal workers anchor the state's top trades.
Nationally, electricians lead all registered trades with 95,000 active apprentices and a 48-month average training duration, completing at a $38.50 average wage - an 11.0% growth rate, the fastest of any major construction trade tracked.DOL, Office of Apprenticeship
Texas: 71,000 Active Apprentices
Texas ranks second with 71,000 active apprentices across 2,400 registered programs. Texas Apprenticeship Insights shows a 55.1% completion rate, with starting wages of $17.25/hr rising to $31.80/hr on completion and 18,500 new apprentices added this fiscal year.DOL, Registered Apprenticeship Data
Plumbers, HVAC mechanics, and pipefitters anchor Texas's top trades. Nationally, plumbers rank second among all registered trades with 52,000 active apprentices, a $35.20 average completion wage, and a 5.9% growth rate.DOL, Office of Apprenticeship
Growth Trajectories for Key Trades
Among registered trades nationwide, electricians (95,000 active apprentices, 11.0% growth) and plumbers (52,000, 5.9% growth) lead by volume. Construction Industry Overview contextualizes these trends against broader sector projections.
Carpenters follow with 41,000 active apprentices and the fastest growth rate of the group at 7.4%, ahead of HVAC mechanics (38,000 apprentices, 9.0% growth) and pipe fitters (32,000 apprentices, 4.6% growth). Sheet metal workers (28,000) and iron workers (24,000) round out the largest registered trades by active-apprentice count.DOL, Office of Apprenticeship
Regional Disparities in Completion Rates
Beyond the coastal leaders, midwestern states post strong numbers of their own. Ohio runs 52,000 active apprentices across 1,900 registered programs, posting the group's highest completion rate at 61.4% - ahead of Minnesota (25,000 apprentices, 64.0% completion, the single highest rate among states surveyed), Illinois (38,000 apprentices, 60.2% completion), and Michigan (31,000 apprentices, 58.9% completion).DOL, Registered Apprenticeship Data
In the Pacific Northwest, Washington runs 24,000 active apprentices at a 57.5% completion rate, while Oregon's smaller system of 13,500 apprentices completes at 58.3%. Compare all 51 states for the full jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdown.
Summary: California and Texas together account for the largest share of U.S. registered apprenticeship activity - California with 89,000 active apprentices and a 58.2% completion rate, Texas with 71,000 apprentices and a 55.1% completion rate. Nationally, electricians (95,000), plumbers (52,000), and carpenters (41,000) lead all registered trades by active-apprentice count, while Minnesota (64.0%) and Ohio (61.4%) post the highest state completion rates. Apprenticeship Rankings provides state-by-state comparisons for all 51 jurisdictions in our database.
What this analysis cannot tell us
The data only covers registered programs and cannot indicate informal training opportunities in each state; it aggregates at the state level without city-specific details, potentially masking urban-rural disparities; wage figures represent averages and do not account for cost-of-living adjustments; projections rely on 2023 fiscal year data, ignoring recent policy changes; certain occupations like those in tech may be underrepresented in apprenticeship counts.