Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Lexington, SC (2026)

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

Lexington, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Lexington has a population of about 24,132. Median household income is $83,263 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbia, SC metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $105,200 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Lexington

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

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Lexington

Lexington is part of the Columbia, SC metro area (BLS area code 17900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$105,200	Columbia, SC	$112,273
Judge or Magistrate	$94,400	Columbia, SC	$100,747
Police Supervisor	$73,450	Columbia, SC	$78,388
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$66,340	Columbia, SC	$70,800
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$59,260	Columbia, SC	$63,244
Correctional Officer	$44,860	Columbia, SC	$47,876
Probation Officer	$62,830	Columbia, SC	$67,054
Forensic Science Technician	$45,990	Columbia, SC	$49,082
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$57,220	Columbia, SC	$61,067
Information Security Analyst	$101,330	Columbia, SC	$108,143

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.

Lexington at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	24,132	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$83,263	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	48.0%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	93.7 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Lexington-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Columbia, SC – 18.4 mi away (571,249 pop)
Orangeburg, SC – 39.8 mi away (31,666 pop)
Aiken, SC – 43.0 mi away (30,937 pop)
Sumter, SC – 47.5 mi away (73,468 pop)
North Augusta, SC – 53.1 mi away (22,932 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Lexington, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Lexington. The closest is Midlands Technical College in West Columbia, SC (6.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Benedict College (11.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Lexington are: Attorney ($105,200), Information Security Analyst ($101,330), Judge or Magistrate ($94,400). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Columbia instead of Lexington?

Columbia, SC is 18.4 miles from Lexington 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 Lexington an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Lexington’s median household income of $83,263 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lexington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina 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 Lexington

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

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.

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