Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Portland, OR (2026)

Portland, Oregon has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $5,040 to $32,975 per year for indexed programs. Portland has a population of about 642,715. Median household income is $88,792 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $178,260 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Portland

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Portland. Distances are calculated from Portland city center.

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Portland

Portland is part of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area (BLS area code 38900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Oregon statewide.

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.

Portland at a Glance

Other Portland-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

• Milwaukie, OR – 6.5 mi away (20,929 pop)
• Vancouver, WA – 7.2 mi away (174,826 pop)
• Lake Oswego, OR – 8.9 mi away (38,945 pop)
• Beaverton, OR – 9.1 mi away (97,590 pop)
• Tigard, OR – 10.1 mi away (51,902 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Portland, OR?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Portland. The closest is Portland State University in Portland, OR (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mt Hood Community College (12.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Portland are: Judge or Magistrate ($178,260), Attorney ($155,330), Police Supervisor ($128,500). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Oregon statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Milwaukie instead of Portland?

Milwaukie, OR is 6.5 miles from Portland 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 Portland an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Portland’s median household income of $88,792 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Portland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Oregon 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

• Criminal Justice accreditation: what to look for
• Criminal Justice concentrations and specializations
• Is a Criminal Justice degree worth it?
• Main Criminal Justice degree guide
• Online Criminal Justice programs in Oregon
• Criminal Justice programs by state

Other Programs Available in Portland

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

• Nursing programs in Portland, OR
• Business Administration programs in Portland, OR
• Computer Science programs in Portland, OR
• Psychology programs in Portland, OR
• Education programs in Portland, OR
• Engineering programs in Portland, OR
• Technology programs in Portland, OR
• Liberal Arts programs in Portland, OR
• Healthcare programs in Portland, OR
• Cybersecurity programs in Portland, OR
• Accounting programs in Portland, OR
• Healthcare Administration programs in Portland, OR
• Social Work programs in Portland, OR
• Counseling programs in Portland, OR

Related from Our Editorial Library

• Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
• Best Online Colleges Ranking
• Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students

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.