South Lake Tahoe, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. South Lake Tahoe has a population of about 21,319. Median household income is $73,940 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $178,540 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Schools to South Lake Tahoe
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near South Lake Tahoe, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from South Lake Tahoe 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 South Lake Tahoe.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,657
Avg net price
$8,516/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,131
Out‑of‑state$11,103
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe is part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area (BLS area code 40900). 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 | $178,540 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $167,329 |
| Judge or Magistrate | N/A | CA statewide | – |
| Police Supervisor | $163,810 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $153,524 |
| Detective or Criminal Investigator | $109,500 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $102,624 |
| Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $111,460 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $104,461 |
| Correctional Officer | $89,730 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $84,096 |
| Probation Officer | $100,690 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $94,367 |
| Forensic Science Technician | $101,780 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $95,389 |
| Paralegal or Legal Assistant | $78,550 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $73,618 |
| Information Security Analyst | $133,570 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $125,183 |
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.
South Lake Tahoe at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 21,319 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $73,940 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 34.0% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 106.7 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other South Lake Tahoe-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Carson City, NV – 19.3 mi away (57,522 pop)
- Reno, NV – 42.7 mi away (427,007 pop)
- Sparks, NV – 46.1 mi away (98,345 pop)
- Placerville, CA – 46.2 mi away (30,531 pop)
- Grass Valley, CA – 60.8 mi away (34,508 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near South Lake Tahoe, CA?
Accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near South Lake Tahoe 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 South Lake Tahoe?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near South Lake Tahoe are: Attorney ($178,540), Police Supervisor ($163,810), Information Security Analyst ($133,570). 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 Carson City instead of South Lake Tahoe?
Carson City, NV is 19.3 miles from South Lake Tahoe 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 South Lake Tahoe an affordable place to study criminal justice?
South Lake Tahoe’s median household income of $73,940 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in South Lake Tahoe 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 South Lake Tahoe
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for South Lake Tahoe:
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- Accounting programs in South Lake Tahoe, CA
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- Social Work programs in South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Counseling programs in South Lake Tahoe, CA
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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