Best Online Counseling Programs in El Cerrito, CA (2026)

El Cerrito, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $31,243 to $31,243 per year for indexed programs. El Cerrito has a population of about 5,121. Median household income is $122,472 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 14.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $94,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to El Cerrito

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near El Cerrito. Distances are calculated from El Cerrito city center.

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

Counseling Wages Near El Cerrito

El Cerrito is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

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.

El Cerrito at a Glance

Other El Cerrito-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

• Richmond, CA – 2.8 mi away (109,813 pop)
• Berkeley, CA – 3.6 mi away (121,240 pop)
• San Pablo, CA – 3.7 mi away (30,536 pop)
• Hercules, CA – 6.5 mi away (25,360 pop)
• Oakland, CA – 10.1 mi away (420,005 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near El Cerrito, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near El Cerrito. The closest is The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA (4.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saint Mary’s College of California (11.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near El Cerrito?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near El Cerrito are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($94,600), Social and Community Service Manager ($93,410), Marriage and Family Therapist ($77,210). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Richmond instead of El Cerrito?

Richmond, CA is 2.8 miles from El Cerrito and has its own set of local counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is El Cerrito an affordable place to study counseling?

El Cerrito’s median household income of $122,472 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in El Cerrito while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Counseling Programs

• Counseling accreditation: what to look for
• Counseling concentrations and specializations
• Is a Counseling degree worth it?
• Main Counseling degree guide
• Online Counseling programs in California
• Counseling programs by state

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Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for El Cerrito:

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Data verified: June 11, 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.