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Best Digital Forensics Schools Near Owensboro, KY (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Owensboro, Kentucky is home to about 60,112 residents. Median household income is $53,295 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Kentucky, the top-earning digital forensics-related role is Information Security Analysts at a median $103,630 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Digital Forensics Schools to Owensboro
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer digital forensics programs near Owensboro, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Owensboro 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:
BOCSCORE
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 Owensboro.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Owensboro is part of the Owensboro, KY metro area (BLS area code 36980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts
$103,630
KY statewide
$116,964
Computer Occupations, All Other
$89,420
KY statewide
$100,926
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
$71,670
KY statewide
$80,892
Forensic Science Technicians
$61,470
KY statewide
$69,379
Computer Systems Analysts
$86,470
Owensboro, KY
$97,596
Computer Network Support Specialists
N/A
KY statewide
–
Private Detectives and Investigators
$47,650
KY statewide
$53,781
Network and Computer Systems Administrators
$94,060
Owensboro, KY
$106,163
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.
Owensboro at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
60,112
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$53,295
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
25.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
88.6 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Owensboro-Area Cities With Digital Forensics Programs
What are the highest-paying digital forensics roles near Owensboro?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying digital forensics-related roles near Owensboro are: Information Security Analysts ($103,630), Network and Computer Systems Administrators ($94,060), Computer Occupations, All Other ($89,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Henderson instead of Owensboro?
Henderson, KY is 25.8 miles from Owensboro and has its own set of local digital forensics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Owensboro an affordable place to study digital forensics?
Owensboro’s median household income of $53,295 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Owensboro while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kentucky 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.
Data verified: September 7, 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.
