Best Online Counseling Programs in Stockton, CA (2026)

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

Stockton, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Stockton has a population of about 320,470. Median household income is $76,851 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Stockton-Lodi, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor at a median $79,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Stockton

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

Stockton is part of the Stockton-Lodi, CA metro area (BLS area code 44700). 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	$72,770	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$69,239
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$79,840	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$75,966
Marriage and Family Therapist	$69,960	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$66,565
Rehabilitation Counselor	$42,620	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$40,552
Counselor, All Other	$48,850	CA statewide	$46,480
Social and Community Service Manager	$76,600	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$72,883

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.

Stockton at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	320,470	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$76,851	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	19.1%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	105.1 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in San Joaquin County	14,457 workers, 7,407 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Stockton-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Lodi, CA – 10.1 mi away (71,515 pop)
Lathrop, CA – 11.1 mi away (22,073 pop)
Manteca, CA – 13.4 mi away (95,797 pop)
Tracy, CA – 18.8 mi away (94,277 pop)
Galt, CA – 20.1 mi away (27,003 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Stockton, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Stockton. The closest is University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA (0.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is InterCoast Colleges-Rancho Cordova (40.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Stockton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Stockton are: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($79,840), Social and Community Service Manager ($76,600), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($72,770). 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 Lodi instead of Stockton?

Lodi, CA is 10.1 miles from Stockton 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 Stockton an affordable place to study counseling?

Stockton’s median household income of $76,851 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Stockton 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 Stockton

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

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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