Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Dayton, OH (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Dayton, Ohio has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Dayton has a population of about 136,741. Median household income is $43,454 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Information Security Analyst at a median $111,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Dayton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Dayton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Dayton 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:

  • 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 Dayton. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Sinclair Community College

Dayton, OH 1.5 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,558
Avg net price $5,992/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 160

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH 3.1 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,537
Avg net price $29,533/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Wright State University-Main Campus

Dayton, OH 7.2 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,500
Avg net price $15,415/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Dayton

Dayton is part of the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area (BLS area code 19430). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Ohio statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney $104,170 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $112,373
Judge or Magistrate $104,760 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $113,010
Police Supervisor $98,230 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $105,965
Detective or Criminal Investigator $83,620 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $90,205
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $76,310 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $82,319
Correctional Officer $53,270 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $57,465
Probation Officer $57,950 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $62,513
Forensic Science Technician N/A OH statewide –
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $58,680 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $63,301
Information Security Analyst $111,430 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $120,205

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.

Dayton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 136,741 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $43,454 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Dayton-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Dayton, OH?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Dayton. The closest is Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Central State University (17.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Dayton are: Information Security Analyst ($111,430), Judge or Magistrate ($104,760), Attorney ($104,170). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Ohio statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Riverside instead of Dayton?

Riverside, OH is 4.1 miles from Dayton 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 Dayton an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Dayton’s median household income of $43,454 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Dayton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio 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 Dayton

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Criminal Justice Schools in Ohio: Online Programs (2026)