Best Online Healthcare Programs in El Centro, CA (2026)

El Centro, California has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs, with tuition ranging from $1,126 to $12,466 per year for indexed programs. El Centro has a population of about 44,186. Median household income is $56,093 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 15.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the El Centro, CA metro area, the top-earning healthcare-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $132,620 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Healthcare Schools to El Centro

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer healthcare programs near El Centro. Distances are calculated from El Centro city center.

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 El Centro. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Imperial Valley College

Imperial, CA 4.2 miles from El Centro BOC Score66.0
Published tuition$1,126 - $12,466
Online programsYes

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#2

Regional Center for Border Health

Somerton, AZ 51.9 miles from El Centro
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#3

Arizona Western College

Yuma, AZ 62.1 miles from El Centro BOC Score51.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Milan Institute-Palm Desert

Palm Desert, CA 80.6 miles from El Centro BOC Score31.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#5

International School of Beauty Inc

Palm Desert, CA 81.3 miles from El Centro BOC Score49.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California healthcare page.


Healthcare Wages Near El Centro

El Centro is part of the El Centro, CA metro area (BLS area code 20940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager$132,620El Centro, CA$139,307
Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar$90,750CA statewide$95,326
Medical Records Specialist$60,850El Centro, CA$63,918
Medical Secretary or Administrative Assistant$45,820El Centro, CA$48,130
Healthcare Social Worker$80,710El Centro, CA$84,779
Epidemiologist$110,760CA statewide$116,345

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.


El Centro at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population44,186Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$56,093Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+15.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)95.2 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Healthcare-related employment in Imperial County11,067 workers, 6,881 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other El Centro-Area Cities With Healthcare Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare schools are near El Centro, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs near El Centro. The closest is Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA (4.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is International School of Beauty Inc (81.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying healthcare roles near El Centro?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying healthcare-related roles near El Centro are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($132,620), Epidemiologist ($110,760), Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar ($90,750). 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 Calexico instead of El Centro?

Calexico, CA is 8.0 miles from El Centro and has its own set of local healthcare programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is El Centro an affordable place to study healthcare?

El Centro’s median household income of $56,093 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in El Centro 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.


Learn More About Healthcare Programs

Other Programs Available in El Centro

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

Data verified: June 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 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.