Best Online Counseling Programs in Lacey, WA (2026)

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

Lacey, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Lacey has a population of about 57,088. Median household income is $87,277 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $108,380 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Lacey

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

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

Counseling Wages Near Lacey

Lacey is part of the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro area (BLS area code 36500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor	$67,650	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$65,236
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$83,050	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$80,087
Marriage and Family Therapist	$60,000	WA statewide	$57,859
Rehabilitation Counselor	$63,570	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$61,302
Counselor, All Other	$69,530	WA statewide	$67,049
Social and Community Service Manager	$108,380	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$104,513

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.

Lacey at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	57,088	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$87,277	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	32.2%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	103.7 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Thurston County	5,390 workers, 460 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lacey-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Olympia, WA – 4.8 mi away (194,532 pop)
Tumwater, WA – 7.1 mi away (22,538 pop)
Lakewood, WA – 14.8 mi away (60,665 pop)
University Place, WA – 16.5 mi away (33,288 pop)
Tacoma, WA – 21.1 mi away (211,277 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Lacey, WA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Lacey. The closest is Pierce College District in Lakewood, WA (13.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Centralia College (24.0 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Lacey?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Lacey are: Social and Community Service Manager ($108,380), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($83,050), Counselor, All Other ($69,530). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Olympia instead of Lacey?

Olympia, WA is 4.8 miles from Lacey 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 Lacey an affordable place to study counseling?

Lacey’s median household income of $87,277 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lacey while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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 Lacey

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

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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