Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Covington, KY (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Covington, Kentucky has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Covington has a population of about 40,902. Median household income is $58,814 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $130,980 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Covington

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

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Covington

Covington is part of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (BLS area code 17140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$130,980	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$137,296
Judge or Magistrate	$122,750	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$128,669
Police Supervisor	$102,870	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$107,830
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$92,110	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$96,551
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$80,410	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$84,287
Correctional Officer	$55,460	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$58,134
Probation Officer	$59,380	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$62,243
Forensic Science Technician	$61,470	KY statewide	$64,434
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$64,330	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$67,432
Information Security Analyst	$114,300	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$119,811

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.

Covington at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	40,902	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$58,814	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	32.0%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	95.4 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Covington-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Independence, KY – 5.9 mi away (27,024 pop)
Cincinnati, OH – 7.5 mi away (1,634,573 pop)
Florence, KY – 7.6 mi away (32,460 pop)
Fairfield, OH – 20.5 mi away (42,617 pop)
Hamilton, OH – 25.0 mi away (62,127 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Covington, KY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Covington. The closest is Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, KY (2.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (6.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Covington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Covington are: Attorney ($130,980), Judge or Magistrate ($122,750), Information Security Analyst ($114,300). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Independence instead of Covington?

Independence, KY is 5.9 miles from Covington 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 Covington an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Covington’s median household income of $58,814 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Covington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kentucky 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 Covington

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

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.

Back to Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Kentucky (2026)

Return to Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Kentucky (2026)