Best Online Counseling Programs in Chester, PA (2026)

Chester, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $13,440 to $24,633 per year for indexed programs. Chester has a population of about 33,209. Median household income is $39,809 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 13.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $80,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Chester

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

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

Counseling Wages Near Chester

Chester is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

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.

Chester at a Glance

Other Chester-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

• Wilmington, DE – 11.3 mi away (71,442 pop)
• Camden, NJ – 15.4 mi away (74,420 pop)
• Philadelphia, PA – 16.9 mi away (5,591,554 pop)
• Norristown, PA – 19.2 mi away (34,370 pop)
• Newark, DE – 23.5 mi away (33,398 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Chester, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Chester. The closest is Pennsylvania Institute of Technology in Media, PA (4.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Harcum College (12.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Chester?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Chester are: Social and Community Service Manager ($80,810), Marriage and Family Therapist ($78,640), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($66,190). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Wilmington instead of Chester?

Wilmington, DE is 11.3 miles from Chester 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 Chester an affordable place to study counseling?

Chester’s median household income of $39,809 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chester while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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

• Counseling accreditation: what to look for
• Counseling concentrations and specializations
• Is a Counseling degree worth it?
• Main Counseling degree guide
• Online Counseling programs in Pennsylvania
• Counseling programs by state

Other Programs Available in Chester

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

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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.