Best Online Counseling Programs in Paterson, NJ (2026)

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

Paterson, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Paterson has a population of about 157,660. Median household income is $53,766 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 12.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $100,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Paterson

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near Paterson. Distances are calculated from Paterson 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 Paterson. 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 New Jersey schools on the New Jersey counseling page.

Counseling Wages Near Paterson

Paterson is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor	$61,020	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$54,192
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$77,580	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$68,899
Marriage and Family Therapist	$91,130	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$80,933
Rehabilitation Counselor	$50,000	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$44,405
Counselor, All Other	$63,300	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$56,217
Social and Community Service Manager	$100,570	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$89,316

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.

Paterson at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	157,660	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$53,766	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	12.5%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	112.6 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Passaic County	10,999 workers, 3,335 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Paterson-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Elmwood Park, NJ – 2.3 mi away (20,295 pop)
Fair Lawn, NJ – 2.8 mi away (33,453 pop)
Clifton, NJ – 3.6 mi away (85,845 pop)
Garfield, NJ – 3.7 mi away (31,876 pop)
Passaic, NJ – 4.3 mi away (70,635 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Paterson, NJ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Paterson. The closest is Passaic County Community College in Paterson, NJ (0.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Seton Hall University (12.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Paterson?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Paterson are: Social and Community Service Manager ($100,570), Marriage and Family Therapist ($91,130), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($77,580). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Elmwood Park instead of Paterson?

Elmwood Park, NJ is 2.3 miles from Paterson 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 Paterson an affordable place to study counseling?

Paterson’s median household income of $53,766 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Paterson while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey 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 Paterson

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

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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