Clearwater, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $2,682 to $12,032 per year for indexed programs. Clearwater has a population of about 117,075. Median household income is $64,440 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $196,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Clearwater
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Clearwater, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Clearwater 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 Clearwater.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
15%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,421
Avg net price
$20,434/yr
TuitionIn‑state$18,145
Out‑of‑state$18,145
Key stats- Retention rate: 32%
- Programs offered: 13
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,557
Avg net price
$1,471/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
40%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,436
Avg net price
$36,211/yr
TuitionIn‑state$34,408
Out‑of‑state$34,408
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 36
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,903
Avg net price
$5,203/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,782
Avg net price
$3,861/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
43%
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,743
Avg net price
$9,812/yr
TuitionIn‑state$6,410
Out‑of‑state$17,324
Key stats- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,092
Avg net price
$16,064/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 18
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,318
Avg net price
$22,356/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida criminal justice page.
Criminal Justice Wages Near Clearwater
Clearwater is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area (BLS area code 45300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Attorney | $127,490 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $126,353 |
| Judge or Magistrate | $196,890 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $195,134 |
| Police Supervisor | $114,400 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $113,380 |
| Detective or Criminal Investigator | $92,420 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $91,596 |
| Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer | $75,710 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $75,035 |
| Correctional Officer | $65,340 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $64,757 |
| Probation Officer | $50,670 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $50,218 |
| Forensic Science Technician | $65,230 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $64,648 |
| Paralegal or Legal Assistant | $60,150 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $59,613 |
| Information Security Analyst | $118,970 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $117,909 |
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.
Clearwater at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 117,075 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $64,440 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 32.5% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 100.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Clearwater-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs
- Dunedin, FL – 4.0 mi away (36,381 pop)
- Largo, FL – 4.9 mi away (83,065 pop)
- Pinellas Park, FL – 8.9 mi away (52,137 pop)
- Tarpon Springs, FL – 11.8 mi away (24,867 pop)
- Saint Petersburg, FL – 14.1 mi away (260,999 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Clearwater, FL?
Accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Clearwater 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 Clearwater?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Clearwater are: Judge or Magistrate ($196,890), Attorney ($127,490), Information Security Analyst ($118,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Dunedin instead of Clearwater?
Dunedin, FL is 4.0 miles from Clearwater 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 Clearwater an affordable place to study criminal justice?
Clearwater’s median household income of $64,440 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Clearwater while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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
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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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