Best Online Counseling Programs in Harrisburg, PA (2026)

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $13,544 to $63,990 per year for indexed programs. Harrisburg has a population of about 50,092. Median household income is $47,783 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $76,220 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Counseling Schools to Harrisburg

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

#1

Lebanon Valley College

Annville, PA 19.9 miles from Harrisburg BOC Score64.6
Published tuition$50,320 - $63,990
Online programsYes

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#2

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, PA 30.8 miles from Harrisburg BOC Score53.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Lancaster Bible College

Lancaster, PA 34.4 miles from Harrisburg BOC Score48.4
Published tuition$29,990 - $40,813
Online programsYes

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#4

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, PA 36.7 miles from Harrisburg BOC Score51.7
Published tuition$13,544 - $29,480
Online programsYes

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#5

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill

Schuylkill Haven, PA 44.8 miles from Harrisburg BOC Score40.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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


Counseling Wages Near Harrisburg

Harrisburg is part of the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA metro area (BLS area code 25420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$57,210Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$57,964
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor$63,500Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$64,336
Marriage and Family Therapist$71,120Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$72,057
Rehabilitation Counselor$49,810Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$50,466
Counselor, All Other$71,970Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$72,918
Social and Community Service Manager$76,220Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA$77,224

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.


Harrisburg at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population50,092Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$47,783Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+26.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)98.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Dauphin County10,927 workers, 655 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Harrisburg-Area Cities With Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Harrisburg, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Harrisburg. The closest is Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA (19.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill (44.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Harrisburg?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Harrisburg are: Social and Community Service Manager ($76,220), Counselor, All Other ($71,970), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,120). 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 York instead of Harrisburg?

York, PA is 22.9 miles from Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg an affordable place to study counseling?

Harrisburg’s median household income of $47,783 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Harrisburg 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

Other Programs Available in Harrisburg

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

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.