Mission Viejo, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $1,432 to $13,732 per year for indexed programs. Mission Viejo has a population of about 92,415. Median household income is $136,071 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $87,100 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Counseling Schools to Mission Viejo
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer counseling programs near Mission Viejo, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Mission Viejo 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Mission Viejo.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,874
Avg net price
$4,152/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,156
Out‑of‑state$11,860
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California counseling page.
Counseling Wages Near Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $51,910 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45,695 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor | $79,000 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $69,542 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $71,110 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $62,597 |
| Rehabilitation Counselor | $43,480 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $38,275 |
| Counselor, All Other | $48,830 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $42,984 |
| Social and Community Service Manager | $87,100 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $76,673 |
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.
Mission Viejo at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 92,415 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $136,071 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 51.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
| Counseling-related employment in Orange County | 80,716 workers, 40,645 establishments | BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Mission Viejo-Area Cities With Counseling Programs
- Laguna Hills, CA – 2.8 mi away (31,509 pop)
- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – 3.6 mi away (48,969 pop)
- Lake Forest, CA – 3.7 mi away (83,240 pop)
- Aliso Viejo, CA – 4.7 mi away (51,424 pop)
- Laguna Niguel, CA – 6.4 mi away (65,328 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited counseling schools are near Mission Viejo, CA?
Accredited schools offering counseling programs near Mission Viejo 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 counseling roles near Mission Viejo?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Mission Viejo are: Social and Community Service Manager ($87,100), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($79,000), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,110). 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 Laguna Hills instead of Mission Viejo?
Laguna Hills, CA is 2.8 miles from Mission Viejo 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 Mission Viejo an affordable place to study counseling?
Mission Viejo’s median household income of $136,071 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Mission Viejo 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
Other Programs Available in Mission Viejo
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Mission Viejo:
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- Education programs in Mission Viejo, CA
- Engineering programs in Mission Viejo, CA
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- Liberal Arts programs in Mission Viejo, CA
- Healthcare programs in Mission Viejo, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Mission Viejo, CA
- Accounting programs in Mission Viejo, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Mission Viejo, CA
- Social Work programs in Mission Viejo, CA
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.
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