Best Healthcare Schools Near Walnut Creek, CA (2026)

Walnut Creek, California has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs. Walnut Creek has a population of about 69,790. Median household income is $135,665 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 69.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning healthcare-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $166,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Healthcare Schools to Walnut Creek

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer healthcare programs near Walnut Creek, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Northeastern University Oakland

Oakland, CA 11.4 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
42.7 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $25,181/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 0%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, CA 13.6 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
99.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $143,238
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Lincoln University

Oakland, CA 14.2 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,695
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 16.9 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Touro University California

Vallejo, CA 17.6 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $104,805
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Life Chiropractic College West

Hayward, CA 18.8 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

California Institute of Integral Studies

San Francisco, CA 22.3 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,848
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA 23.5 miles from Walnut Creek
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,170
Avg net price $4,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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


Healthcare Wages Near Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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)
Medical and Health Services Manager $166,310 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $143,867
Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar $111,480 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $96,436
Medical Records Specialist $74,400 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $64,360
Medical Secretary or Administrative Assistant $61,330 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $53,054
Healthcare Social Worker $99,640 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $86,194
Epidemiologist $130,400 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $112,803

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.


Walnut Creek at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 69,790 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $135,665 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 69.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Healthcare-related employment in Contra Costa County 76,021 workers, 15,958 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Walnut Creek-Area Cities With Healthcare Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare schools are near Walnut Creek, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs near Walnut Creek. The closest is Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus in Pleasant Hill, CA (4.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northeastern University Oakland (11.4 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying healthcare roles near Walnut Creek?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying healthcare-related roles near Walnut Creek are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($166,310), Epidemiologist ($130,400), Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar ($111,480). 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 Pleasant Hill instead of Walnut Creek?

Pleasant Hill, CA is 4.1 miles from Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek an affordable place to study healthcare?

Walnut Creek’s median household income of $135,665 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek

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

Data verified: September 6, 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.