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Best Environmental Policy Schools Near Arroyo Grande, CA
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Arroyo Grande, California is home to about 18,412 residents. Median household income is $103,258 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $178,530 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Policy Schools to Arroyo Grande
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near Arroyo Grande, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Arroyo Grande 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 Arroyo Grande.
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.
Arroyo Grande is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area (BLS area code 42020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$105,810
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$97,431
Compliance Officers
$91,570
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$84,319
Management Analysts
$84,290
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$77,615
Economists
$119,410
CA statewide
$109,954
Political Scientists
N/A
CA statewide
–
Conservation Scientists
$77,280
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$71,160
Natural Sciences Managers
$178,530
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$164,392
Environmental Engineers
$129,780
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$119,503
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.
Arroyo Grande at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
18,412
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$103,258
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
44.5%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
108.6 (above U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Arroyo Grande-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near Arroyo Grande?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near Arroyo Grande are: Natural Sciences Managers ($178,530), Environmental Engineers ($129,780), Economists ($119,410). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in San Luis Obispo instead of Arroyo Grande?
San Luis Obispo, CA is 10.9 miles from Arroyo Grande and has its own set of local environmental policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Arroyo Grande an affordable place to study environmental policy?
Arroyo Grande’s median household income of $103,258 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Arroyo Grande while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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.
