Best Online Counseling Programs in Jefferson City, MO (2026)

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

Jefferson City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Jefferson City has a population of about 42,565. Median household income is $67,205 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Jefferson City, MO metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $67,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Jefferson City

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

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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

Counseling Wages Near Jefferson City

Jefferson City is part of the Jefferson City, MO metro area (BLS area code 27620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor	$47,480	Jefferson City, MO	$53,955
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$55,520	Jefferson City, MO	$63,091
Marriage and Family Therapist	$60,440	MO statewide	$68,682
Rehabilitation Counselor	$49,640	Jefferson City, MO	$56,409
Counselor, All Other	$43,680	MO statewide	$49,636
Social and Community Service Manager	$67,810	Jefferson City, MO	$77,057

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.

Jefferson City at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	42,565	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$67,205	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	36.9%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	88.0 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Cole County	1,338 workers, 261 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Jefferson City-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Columbia, MO – 27.5 mi away (138,675 pop)
Rolla, MO – 48.5 mi away (20,692 pop)
Sedalia, MO – 57.9 mi away (26,302 pop)
Wentzville, MO – 72.6 mi away (37,395 pop)
O’Fallon, MO – 80.1 mi away (86,274 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Jefferson City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Jefferson City. The closest is University of Missouri-Columbia in Columbia, MO (26.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lindenwood University (91.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Jefferson City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Jefferson City are: Social and Community Service Manager ($67,810), Marriage and Family Therapist ($60,440), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($55,520). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Columbia instead of Jefferson City?

Columbia, MO is 27.5 miles from Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City an affordable place to study counseling?

Jefferson City’s median household income of $67,205 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Jefferson City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri 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 Jefferson City

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

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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