Forest City, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs. Forest City has a population of about 7,368. Median household income is $35,897 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 17.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In North Carolina, the top-earning environmental science-related role is Environmental Engineer at a median $99,440 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Science Schools to Forest City
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental science programs near Forest City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Forest City 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 Forest City.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,260
Avg net price
$21,249/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 22
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,836
Avg net price
$16,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 108
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,458
Avg net price
$13,315/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 81
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,793
Avg net price
$17,879/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 31
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,158
Avg net price
$28,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,440
Avg net price
$10,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 75
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$74,545
Avg net price
$41,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 71
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,407
Avg net price
$10,260/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina environmental science page.
Environmental Science Wages Near Forest City
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage (North Carolina, statewide) |
|---|
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist | $74,130 |
| Conservation Scientist | $64,460 |
| Environmental Engineer | $99,440 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $64,620 |
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.
Forest City at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 7,368 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $35,897 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 17.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
Other Forest City-Area Cities With Environmental Science Programs
- Shelby, NC – 18.8 mi away (27,288 pop)
- Gaffney, SC – 21.6 mi away (21,692 pop)
- Spartanburg, SC – 27.1 mi away (185,031 pop)
- Greer, SC – 34.4 mi away (29,000 pop)
- Lincolnton, NC – 36.9 mi away (23,264 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited environmental science schools are near Forest City, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs near Forest City. The closest is Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC (37.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Anderson University (71.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying environmental science roles in North Carolina?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying environmental science-related roles in North Carolina are: Environmental Engineer ($99,440), Environmental Scientist and Specialist ($74,130), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($64,620). Wages for Forest City workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Shelby instead of Forest City?
Shelby, NC is 18.8 miles from Forest City and has its own set of local environmental science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Forest City an affordable place to study environmental science?
Forest City’s median household income of $35,897 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Forest City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Environmental Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Forest City
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Forest City:
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- Sustainability Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Forest City, NC
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Forest City, NC
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- Communication Disorders programs in Forest City, NC
- Speech Pathology programs in Forest City, NC
- Technical Communication programs in Forest City, NC
- Professional Writing programs in Forest City, NC
- Strategic Communications programs in Forest City, NC
- Business Development programs in Forest City, NC
- Construction Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Economics programs in Forest City, NC
- Financial Technology programs in Forest City, NC
- Forensic Accounting programs in Forest City, NC
- Health Information Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Hospitality Management programs in Forest City, NC
- International Business programs in Forest City, NC
- Organizational Leadership programs in Forest City, NC
- Management Information Systems programs in Forest City, NC
- Nonprofit Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Operations Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Public Administration programs in Forest City, NC
- Real Estate programs in Forest City, NC
- Recreation Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Retail Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Risk Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Statistics programs in Forest City, NC
- Taxation programs in Forest City, NC
- Corrections programs in Forest City, NC
- Crime Analysis programs in Forest City, NC
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Forest City, NC
- Criminology programs in Forest City, NC
- Cybercrime programs in Forest City, NC
- Emergency Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Fire Science programs in Forest City, NC
- Forensic Science programs in Forest City, NC
- Legal Services programs in Forest City, NC
- Legal Studies programs in Forest City, NC
- Paralegal programs in Forest City, NC
- Security Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Cloud Computing programs in Forest City, NC
- Computer Engineering programs in Forest City, NC
- Innovation programs in Forest City, NC
- Mobile App Development programs in Forest City, NC
- Software Development programs in Forest City, NC
- User Experience programs in Forest City, NC
- Web Development programs in Forest City, NC
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Forest City, NC
- Machine Learning programs in Forest City, NC
- Supply Chain Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Data Analytics programs in Forest City, NC
- Public Health programs in Forest City, NC
- Human Resources programs in Forest City, NC
- Project Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Special Education programs in Forest City, NC
- Homeland Security programs in Forest City, NC
- Marketing programs in Forest City, NC
- Finance programs in Forest City, NC
- Kinesiology programs in Forest City, NC
- Sports Management programs in Forest City, NC
- Early Childhood Education programs in Forest City, NC
- Elementary Education programs in Forest City, NC
- Biology programs in Forest City, NC
- Communications programs in Forest City, NC
- Graphic Design programs in Forest City, NC
- Human Services programs in Forest City, NC
- MBA programs in Forest City, NC
- Criminal Justice programs in Forest City, NC
- Nursing programs in Forest City, NC
- Business Administration programs in Forest City, NC
- Computer Science programs in Forest City, NC
- Psychology programs in Forest City, NC
- Education programs in Forest City, NC
- Engineering programs in Forest City, NC
- Technology programs in Forest City, NC
- Liberal Arts programs in Forest City, NC
- Healthcare programs in Forest City, NC
- Cybersecurity programs in Forest City, NC
- Accounting programs in Forest City, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Forest City, NC
- Social Work programs in Forest City, NC
- Counseling programs in Forest City, NC
Data verified: September 1, 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.
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