Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Union City, CA (2026)

Union City, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $1,168 to $22,803 per year for indexed programs. Union City has a population of about 68,141. Median household income is $137,194 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $212,500 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Union City

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

#1

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 4.2 miles from Union City BOC Score79.2
Published tuition$7,055 - $22,803
Online programsYes

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#2

Chabot College

Hayward, CA 5.4 miles from Union City BOC Score46.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#3

Ohlone College

Fremont, CA 7.6 miles from Union City BOC Score60.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Carrington College-San Leandro Campus

San Leandro, CA 8.9 miles from Union City BOC Score40.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#5

Las Positas College

Livermore, CA 14.3 miles from Union City BOC Score71.8
Published tuition$1,168 - $14,810
Online programsYes

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Union City

Union City is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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$212,500San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$183,824
Judge or MagistrateN/ACA statewide
Police Supervisor$175,840San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$152,111
Detective or Criminal Investigator$126,700San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$109,602
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$132,000San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$114,187
Correctional Officer$99,880San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$86,401
Probation Officer$135,890San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$117,552
Forensic Science Technician$109,930San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$95,095
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$84,030San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$72,690
Information Security Analyst$162,310San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$140,407

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.


Union City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population68,141Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$137,194Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+45.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Union City-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Union City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Union City. The closest is California State University-East Bay in Hayward, CA (4.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Las Positas College (14.3 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Union City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Union City are: Attorney ($212,500), Police Supervisor ($175,840), Information Security Analyst ($162,310). 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 Hayward instead of Union City?

Hayward, CA is 3.8 miles from Union City 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 Union City an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Union City’s median household income of $137,194 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Union City 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 Union City

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

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.