Best Online Counseling Programs in Santa Clara, CA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Clara, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Santa Clara has a population of about 129,239. Median household income is $173,670 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 65.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $98,030 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Santa Clara

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

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 Santa Clara. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Counseling Wages Near Santa Clara

Santa Clara is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). 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	$72,550	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$65,716
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$95,390	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$86,404
Marriage and Family Therapist	$95,110	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$86,150
Rehabilitation Counselor	$60,450	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$54,755
Counselor, All Other	$83,930	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$76,024
Social and Community Service Manager	$98,030	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$88,795

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.

Santa Clara at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	129,239	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$173,670	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	65.3%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	110.4 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Santa Clara County	56,229 workers, 31,805 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Clara-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Sunnyvale, CA – 3.5 mi away (152,771 pop)
Cupertino, CA – 5.4 mi away (60,643 pop)
Campbell, CA – 5.9 mi away (40,939 pop)
Milpitas, CA – 6.3 mi away (77,528 pop)
Mountain View, CA – 6.6 mi away (80,447 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Santa Clara, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Santa Clara. The closest is Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of San Mateo (23.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Santa Clara?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Santa Clara are: Social and Community Service Manager ($98,030), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($95,390), Marriage and Family Therapist ($95,110). 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 Sunnyvale instead of Santa Clara?

Sunnyvale, CA is 3.5 miles from Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara an affordable place to study counseling?

Santa Clara’s median household income of $173,670 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Clara:

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.

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