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Best Environmental Policy Schools Near Yakima, WA (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Yakima, Washington is home to about 96,810 residents. Median household income is $59,228 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Washington, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $182,480 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Policy Schools to Yakima
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near Yakima, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Yakima 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 Yakima.
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.
Yakima is part of the Yakima, WA metro area (BLS area code 49420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$76,560
Yakima, WA
$80,168
Compliance Officers
$78,990
Yakima, WA
$82,712
Management Analysts
$78,630
Yakima, WA
$82,335
Economists
$109,300
WA statewide
$114,450
Political Scientists
$147,060
WA statewide
$153,990
Conservation Scientists
$78,460
Yakima, WA
$82,157
Natural Sciences Managers
$182,480
WA statewide
$191,079
Environmental Engineers
$125,460
WA statewide
$131,372
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.
Yakima at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
96,810
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$59,228
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
20.8%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
95.5 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Yakima-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near Yakima?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near Yakima are: Natural Sciences Managers ($182,480), Political Scientists ($147,060), Environmental Engineers ($125,460). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Ellensburg instead of Yakima?
Ellensburg, WA is 28.2 miles from Yakima 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 Yakima an affordable place to study environmental policy?
Yakima’s median household income of $59,228 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Yakima while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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.
