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

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

Santa Rosa, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Santa Rosa has a population of about 177,216. Median household income is $97,410 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $98,480 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Santa Rosa

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near Santa Rosa. Distances are calculated from Santa Rosa 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 Rosa. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programs--

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

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

Counseling Wages Near Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa is part of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area (BLS area code 42220). 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	$63,980	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$59,351
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$98,480	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$91,354
Marriage and Family Therapist	$84,080	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$77,996
Rehabilitation Counselor	$44,970	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$41,716
Counselor, All Other	$55,120	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$51,132
Social and Community Service Manager	$84,310	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$78,210

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 Rosa at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	177,216	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$97,410	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	34.8%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	107.8 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Sonoma County	12,224 workers, 6,550 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Santa Rosa-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Rohnert Park, CA – 6.8 mi away (42,622 pop)
Windsor, CA – 8.6 mi away (27,555 pop)
Petaluma, CA – 14.7 mi away (66,940 pop)
Sonoma, CA – 17.2 mi away (33,923 pop)
Napa, CA – 24.2 mi away (87,733 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Santa Rosa. The closest is Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, CA (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Diablo Valley College (47.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Santa Rosa are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($98,480), Social and Community Service Manager ($84,310), Marriage and Family Therapist ($84,080). 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 Rohnert Park instead of Santa Rosa?

Rohnert Park, CA is 6.8 miles from Santa Rosa 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 Rosa an affordable place to study counseling?

Santa Rosa’s median household income of $97,410 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Rosa 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 Rosa

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

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.

Back to Best Online Counseling Programs in California (2026)

Return to Best Online Counseling Programs in California (2026)