Best Online Counseling Programs in Chicago, IL (2026)

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

Chicago, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Chicago has a population of about 2,707,648. Median household income is $75,134 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $79,150 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Chicago

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

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

Counseling Wages Near Chicago

Chicago is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor	$61,600	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$59,459
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$64,730	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$62,481
Marriage and Family Therapist	$61,360	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$59,228
Rehabilitation Counselor	$49,350	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$47,635
Counselor, All Other	$49,320	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$47,606
Social and Community Service Manager	$79,150	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$76,400

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.

Chicago at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	2,707,648	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$75,134	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	43.3%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	103.6 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Cook County	105,174 workers, 7,587 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Chicago-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Cicero, IL – 3.8 mi away (82,992 pop)
Berwyn, IL – 5.4 mi away (55,748 pop)
Oak Park, IL – 6.4 mi away (51,774 pop)
Burbank, IL – 7.7 mi away (28,886 pop)
Maywood, IL – 8.6 mi away (23,756 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Chicago, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Chicago. The closest is Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL (3.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is The Chicago School at Chicago (4.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Chicago?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Chicago are: Social and Community Service Manager ($79,150), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($64,730), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($61,600). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Cicero instead of Chicago?

Cicero, IL is 3.8 miles from Chicago 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 Chicago an affordable place to study counseling?

Chicago’s median household income of $75,134 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chicago while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Chicago

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

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 Illinois (2026)

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