Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Hanford, CA (2026)

Hanford, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $1,334 to $11,413 per year for indexed programs. Hanford has a population of about 59,389. Median household income is $73,544 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 17.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Hanford-Corcoran, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $149,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Hanford

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Hanford, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Hanford 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:

  • 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 Hanford. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia

Visalia, CA 17.7 miles from Hanford BOC Score 45.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,317
Avg net price $27,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA 28.0 miles from Hanford BOC Score 68.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,896
Avg net price $13,630/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA 31.5 miles from Hanford BOC Score 41.3
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,361
Avg net price $8,069/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA 73.9 miles from Hanford BOC Score 74.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,009
Avg net price $5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 74.0 miles from Hanford BOC Score 24.0
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,291
Avg net price $14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Taft College

Taft, CA 82.1 miles from Hanford BOC Score 46.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 11%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,861
Avg net price $2,823/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 106.1 miles from Hanford BOC Score 80.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,188
Avg net price $6,067/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA 118.3 miles from Hanford BOC Score 64.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,368
Avg net price $2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice page.


Criminal Justice Wages Near Hanford

Hanford is part of the Hanford-Corcoran, CA metro area (BLS area code 25260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$149,430Hanford-Corcoran, CA$147,077
Judge or MagistrateN/ACA statewide
Police Supervisor$125,150Hanford-Corcoran, CA$123,179
Detective or Criminal Investigator$124,840CA statewide$122,874
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$82,770Hanford-Corcoran, CA$81,467
Correctional Officer$96,370CA statewide$94,852
Probation Officer$103,640CA statewide$102,008
Forensic Science Technician$102,100CA statewide$100,492
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$69,600Hanford-Corcoran, CA$68,504
Information Security Analyst$138,570CA statewide$136,388

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.


Hanford at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population59,389Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$73,544Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+17.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)101.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Hanford-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Hanford, CA?

Accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Hanford 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 Hanford?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Hanford are: Attorney ($149,430), Information Security Analyst ($138,570), Police Supervisor ($125,150). 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 Lemoore instead of Hanford?

Lemoore, CA is 8.3 miles from Hanford 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 Hanford an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Hanford’s median household income of $73,544 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hanford 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 Hanford

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.