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Best Digital Forensics Schools Near Odessa, TX (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Odessa, Texas is home to about 114,080 residents. Median household income is $73,030 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Texas, the top-earning digital forensics-related role is Information Security Analysts at a median $129,890 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Digital Forensics Schools to Odessa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer digital forensics programs near Odessa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Odessa 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 Odessa.
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.
Odessa is part of the Odessa, TX metro area (BLS area code 36220). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts
$129,890
TX statewide
$138,328
Computer Occupations, All Other
$84,750
Odessa, TX
$90,256
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
$90,510
TX statewide
$96,390
Forensic Science Technicians
$59,870
TX statewide
$63,759
Computer Systems Analysts
$84,510
Odessa, TX
$90,000
Computer Network Support Specialists
$66,780
TX statewide
$71,118
Private Detectives and Investigators
$51,810
TX statewide
$55,176
Network and Computer Systems Administrators
$92,690
Odessa, TX
$98,711
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.
Odessa at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
114,080
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$73,030
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
18.3%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
93.9 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Odessa-Area Cities With Digital Forensics Programs
What are the highest-paying digital forensics roles near Odessa?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying digital forensics-related roles near Odessa are: Information Security Analysts ($129,890), Network and Computer Systems Administrators ($92,690), Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($90,510). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Midland instead of Odessa?
Midland, TX is 16.8 miles from Odessa 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 Odessa an affordable place to study digital forensics?
Odessa’s median household income of $73,030 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Odessa while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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.
