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

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

Santa Monica, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% 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 Santa Monica

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

Santa Monica 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.

Santa Monica at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	91,535	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$109,739	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	68.9%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	113.6 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Los Angeles County	372,566 workers, 257,486 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Monica-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Culver City, CA – 5.0 mi away (39,364 pop)
Beverly Hills, CA – 5.9 mi away (34,687 pop)
Los Angeles, CA – 7.6 mi away (12,740,381 pop)
West Hollywood, CA – 7.7 mi away (36,698 pop)
Inglewood, CA – 9.1 mi away (110,654 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Santa Monica. The closest is Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, CA (4.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Galaxy Medical College (12.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Santa Monica 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 Culver City instead of Santa Monica?

Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica 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 Monica an affordable place to study counseling?

Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica 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 Monica

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

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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