Antelope Valley Community College District
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--
Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Lancaster, CA (2026)
Lancaster, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Lancaster has a population of about 170,013. Median household income is $76,083 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.1% 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 Lancaster
The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Lancaster. Distances are calculated from Lancaster 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 Lancaster. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
University of Antelope Valley
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--
Los Angeles Mission College
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes
College of the Canyons
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near Lancaster
Lancaster 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.
Lancaster at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 170,013 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $76,083 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 20.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Palmdale, CA – 7.9 mi away (157,356 pop)
- Santa Clarita, CA – 27.0 mi away (266,958 pop)
- San Fernando, CA – 31.7 mi away (24,717 pop)
- La Canada Flintridge, CA – 33.5 mi away (20,447 pop)
- Glendale, CA – 35.6 mi away (200,831 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Lancaster, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Lancaster. The closest is Antelope Valley Community College District in Lancaster, CA (1.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of the Canyons (29.8 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Lancaster?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Lancaster 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 Palmdale instead of Lancaster?
Palmdale, CA is 7.9 miles from Lancaster 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 Lancaster an affordable place to study criminal justice?
Lancaster’s median household income of $76,083 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster 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
- Criminal Justice accreditation: what to look for
- Criminal Justice concentrations and specializations
- Is a Criminal Justice degree worth it?
- Main Criminal Justice degree guide
- Online Criminal Justice programs in California
- Criminal Justice programs by state
Other Programs Available in Lancaster
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lancaster:
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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.
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