Best Fire Science Schools Near Benton, AR (2026)

Benton, Arkansas has 1 accredited school offering fire science programs, with tuition ranging from $5,040 to $6,480 per year for indexed programs. Benton has a population of about 35,954. Median household income is $69,638 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area, the top-earning fire science-related role is First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at a median $73,330 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Fire Science Schools to Benton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer fire science programs near Benton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Benton 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:

  • 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 Benton. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Southern Arkansas University Tech

Camden, AR 66.0 miles from Benton BOC Score 54.0
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,376
Avg net price $9,018/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Black River Technical College

Pocahontas, AR 146.8 miles from Benton BOC Score 55.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,818
Avg net price $5,095/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arkansas schools on the Arkansas fire science page.


Fire Science Wages Near Benton

Benton is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area (BLS area code 30780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Firefighter$48,110Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$53,814
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$73,330Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$82,025
Fire Inspector and Investigator$57,990AR statewide$64,866
Emergency Management Director$56,890Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$63,635

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.


Benton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population35,954Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$69,638Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+28.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)89.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Benton-Area Cities With Fire Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited fire science schools are near Benton, AR?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering fire science programs near Benton. The closest is Southern Arkansas University Tech in Camden, AR (66.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southern Arkansas University Tech (66.1 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying fire science roles near Benton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fire science-related roles near Benton are: First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($73,330), Fire Inspector and Investigator ($57,990), Emergency Management Director ($56,890). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Bryant instead of Benton?

Bryant, AR is 5.3 miles from Benton and has its own set of local fire science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Benton an affordable place to study fire science?

Benton’s median household income of $69,638 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Benton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas 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 Fire Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Benton

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Benton:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.