Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Mankato, MN (2026)

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

Mankato, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Mankato has a population of about 44,882. Median household income is $64,826 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Minnesota, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $190,110 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Mankato

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

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Mankato

Mankato is part of the Mankato, MN metro area (BLS area code 31860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$130,020	Mankato, MN	$142,879
Judge or Magistrate	$190,110	MN statewide	$208,912
Police Supervisor	$107,310	Mankato, MN	$117,923
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$80,000	MN statewide	$87,912
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$83,670	Mankato, MN	$91,945
Correctional Officer	$59,240	Mankato, MN	$65,099
Probation Officer	$81,580	MN statewide	$89,648
Forensic Science Technician	$76,960	MN statewide	$84,571
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$59,490	Mankato, MN	$65,374
Information Security Analyst	$130,710	MN statewide	$143,637

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.

Mankato at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	44,882	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$64,826	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	36.2%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	91.0 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Mankato-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Faribault, MN – 35.7 mi away (24,012 pop)
Owatonna, MN – 37.5 mi away (25,567 pop)
Northfield, MN – 44.5 mi away (22,005 pop)
Prior Lake, MN – 46.5 mi away (25,863 pop)
Chaska, MN – 48.1 mi away (26,016 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Mankato, MN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Mankato. The closest is Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Riverland Community College (59.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Mankato are: Judge or Magistrate ($190,110), Information Security Analyst ($130,710), Attorney ($130,020). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Faribault instead of Mankato?

Faribault, MN is 35.7 miles from Mankato 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 Mankato an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Mankato’s median household income of $64,826 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Mankato while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota 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 Mankato

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

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 Minnesota (2026)

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