Bell Gardens, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $6,813 to $18,698 per year for indexed programs. Bell Gardens has a population of about 38,661. Median household income is $55,372 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 6.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $194,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Bell Gardens
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Bell Gardens, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bell Gardens city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Bell Gardens.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,211
Avg net price
$3,967/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 33
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,003
Avg net price
$34,483/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,669
Avg net price
$27,551/yr
TuitionIn‑state$14,922
Out‑of‑state$14,922
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,950
Avg net price
$14,379/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,498
Avg net price
$32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 96%
- Programs offered: 68
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
93%
Graduation rate
45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,162
Avg net price
$8,615/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,449
Out‑of‑state$20,049
Key stats- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 34
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,533
Avg net price
$4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,403
Avg net price
$10,440/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near Bell Gardens
Bell Gardens is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Attorney | $194,410 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $171,136 |
| Judge or Magistrate | N/A | CA statewide | – |
| Police Supervisor | $167,600 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $147,535 |
| Detective or Criminal Investigator | $127,890 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $112,579 |
| Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $121,980 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $107,377 |
| Correctional Officer | $78,770 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $69,340 |
| Probation Officer | $108,150 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $95,202 |
| Forensic Science Technician | $104,410 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $91,910 |
| Paralegal or Legal Assistant | $77,520 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $68,239 |
| Information Security Analyst | $129,630 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $114,111 |
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.
Bell Gardens at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 38,661 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $55,372 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 6.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Bell Gardens-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Cudahy, CA – 1.6 mi away (24,098 pop)
- Bell, CA – 1.7 mi away (35,864 pop)
- Downey, CA – 2.4 mi away (113,267 pop)
- Maywood, CA – 2.4 mi away (27,633 pop)
- South Gate, CA – 2.6 mi away (95,538 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Bell Gardens, CA?
Accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Bell Gardens are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Bell Gardens?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Bell Gardens are: Attorney ($194,410), Police Supervisor ($167,600), Information Security Analyst ($129,630). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Cudahy instead of Bell Gardens?
Cudahy, CA is 1.6 miles from Bell Gardens and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Bell Gardens an affordable place to study criminal justice?
Bell Gardens’s median household income of $55,372 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bell Gardens while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Criminal Justice Programs
Other Programs Available in Bell Gardens
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bell Gardens:
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Data verified: July 23, 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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