Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Wheeling, WV (2026)

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

Wheeling, West Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Wheeling has a population of about 26,670. Median household income is $48,498 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $124,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Wheeling

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

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Wheeling

Wheeling is part of the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area (BLS area code 48540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to West Virginia statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$124,990	Wheeling, WV-OH	$141,552
Judge or Magistrate	$63,240	WV statewide	$71,619
Police Supervisor	$73,190	Wheeling, WV-OH	$82,888
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$92,410	WV statewide	$104,655
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$58,380	Wheeling, WV-OH	$66,116
Correctional Officer	$59,240	Wheeling, WV-OH	$67,089
Probation Officer	$47,230	Wheeling, WV-OH	$53,488
Forensic Science Technician	$63,330	WV statewide	$71,721
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$51,150	Wheeling, WV-OH	$57,928
Information Security Analyst	$112,570	Wheeling, WV-OH	$127,486

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.

Wheeling at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	26,670	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$48,498	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	32.4%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	88.3 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Wheeling-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Weirton, WV – 23.8 mi away (68,173 pop)
Bethel Park, PA – 38.8 mi away (31,911 pop)
East Liverpool, OH – 39.1 mi away (30,292 pop)
Monessen, PA – 43.2 mi away (63,467 pop)
Pittsburgh, PA – 45.5 mi away (1,722,206 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Wheeling, WV?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Wheeling. The closest is Wheeling University in Wheeling, WV (0.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ohio University-Eastern Campus (14.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Wheeling are: Attorney ($124,990), Information Security Analyst ($112,570), Detective or Criminal Investigator ($92,410). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with West Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Weirton instead of Wheeling?

Weirton, WV is 23.8 miles from Wheeling 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 Wheeling an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Wheeling’s median household income of $48,498 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wheeling while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and West Virginia 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 Wheeling

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

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 West Virginia (2026)

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