Best Online Accounting Programs in Lake in the Hills, IL (2026)

Lake in the Hills, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering accounting programs, with tuition ranging from $3,822 to $12,833 per year for indexed programs. Lake in the Hills has a population of about 28,853. Median household income is $113,491 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning accounting-related role is Financial Manager at a median $168,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Accounting Schools to Lake in the Hills

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer accounting programs near Lake in the Hills, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake in the Hills city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • 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 outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Lake in the Hills. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, IL 2.9 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 58.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,143
Avg net price $7,042/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Elgin Community College

Elgin, IL 12.0 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 50.2
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,516
Avg net price $6,026/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL 16.1 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 59.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,071
Avg net price $11,607/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL 20.6 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 47.4
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,424
Avg net price $7,607/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,788
Out‑of‑state$14,400
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 88

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Oakton College

Des Plaines, IL 25.6 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 57.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 16%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,852
Avg net price $5,183/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL 28.0 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 59.6
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,788
Avg net price $11,442/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL 28.0 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 47.7
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,909
Avg net price $7,401/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 104

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Triton College

River Grove, IL 32.3 miles from Lake in the Hills BOC Score 54.9
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,728
Avg net price $4,138/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois accounting page.


Accounting Wages Near Lake in the Hills

Lake in the Hills is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Accountant and Auditor$82,360Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$79,498
Financial Manager$168,810Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$162,944
Financial Analyst$101,750Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$98,214
Budget Analyst$88,460Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$85,386
Tax Preparer$48,670Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$46,979
Tax Examiner and Collector$93,590Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$90,338
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk$51,440Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$49,653

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Lake in the Hills at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population28,853Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$113,491Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+36.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Accounting-related employment in McHenry County435 workers, 112 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lake in the Hills-Area Cities With Accounting Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited accounting schools are near Lake in the Hills, IL?

Accredited schools offering accounting programs near Lake in the Hills are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying accounting roles near Lake in the Hills?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying accounting-related roles near Lake in the Hills are: Financial Manager ($168,810), Financial Analyst ($101,750), Tax Examiner and Collector ($93,590). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Algonquin instead of Lake in the Hills?

Algonquin, IL is 2.6 miles from Lake in the Hills and has its own set of local accounting programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lake in the Hills an affordable place to study accounting?

Lake in the Hills’s median household income of $113,491 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake in the Hills while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Accounting Programs

Other Programs Available in Lake in the Hills

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lake in the Hills:

Data verified: July 23, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.