Houston Community College
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Best Online Counseling Programs in Houston, TX (2026)
Houston, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $76,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Counseling Schools to Houston
The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near Houston. Distances are calculated from Houston 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 Houston. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
University of St Thomas
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
University of Houston
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Houston Graduate School of Theology
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--
Houston Christian University
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Texas schools on the Texas counseling page.
Counseling Wages Near Houston
Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $67,370 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $68,327 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor | $75,930 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $77,008 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $44,140 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $44,767 |
| Rehabilitation Counselor | $50,990 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $51,714 |
| Counselor, All Other | $54,450 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $55,223 |
| Social and Community Service Manager | $76,780 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $77,870 |
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.
Houston at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,300,419 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $62,894 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 36.0% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 98.6 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
| Counseling-related employment in Harris County | 50,735 workers, 6,666 establishments | BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Houston-Area Cities With Counseling Programs
- Pearland, TX – 16.4 mi away (113,570 pop)
- Pasadena, TX – 17.1 mi away (153,351 pop)
- Missouri City, TX – 17.7 mi away (74,561 pop)
- Deer Park, TX – 18.0 mi away (33,782 pop)
- Sugar Land, TX – 19.3 mi away (88,177 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited counseling schools are near Houston, TX?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Houston. The closest is Houston Community College in Houston, TX (3.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Houston Christian University (9.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Houston?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Houston are: Social and Community Service Manager ($76,780), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($75,930), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($67,370). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Pearland instead of Houston?
Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston 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 Houston an affordable place to study counseling?
Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Texas
- Counseling programs by state
Other Programs Available in Houston
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Houston:
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Related from Our Editorial Library
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- Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students
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.