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

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

Owensboro, Kentucky has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Owensboro has a population of about 60,112. Median household income is $53,295 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Kentucky, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $150,650 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Owensboro

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

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Owensboro

Owensboro is part of the Owensboro, KY metro area (BLS area code 36980). 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	$97,620	Owensboro, KY	$110,181
Judge or Magistrate	$150,650	KY statewide	$170,034
Police Supervisor	$80,390	KY statewide	$90,734
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$71,670	KY statewide	$80,892
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$61,560	Owensboro, KY	$69,481
Correctional Officer	$41,120	Owensboro, KY	$46,411
Probation Officer	$59,610	KY statewide	$67,280
Forensic Science Technician	$61,470	KY statewide	$69,379
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$53,320	Owensboro, KY	$60,181
Information Security Analyst	$103,630	KY statewide	$116,964

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.

Owensboro at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	60,112	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$53,295	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	25.4%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	88.6 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Owensboro-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Henderson, KY – 25.8 mi away (28,841 pop)
Madisonville, KY – 35.7 mi away (24,565 pop)
Radcliff, KY – 64.7 mi away (22,490 pop)
Bowling Green, KY – 65.9 mi away (87,976 pop)
Hopkinsville, KY – 66.5 mi away (32,733 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Owensboro. The closest is Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, KY (0.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Madisonville Community College (34.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Owensboro are: Judge or Magistrate ($150,650), Information Security Analyst ($103,630), Attorney ($97,620). 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 Henderson instead of Owensboro?

Henderson, KY is 25.8 miles from Owensboro 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 Owensboro an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Owensboro’s median household income of $53,295 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Owensboro 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 Owensboro

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

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)

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