Best History Schools Near Salinas, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Salinas, California has 5 accredited schools offering history programs, with tuition ranging from $1,404 to $50,205 per year for indexed programs. Salinas has a population of about 161,993. Median household income is $89,150 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 15.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning history-related role is History Teachers, Postsecondary at a median $127,170 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest History Schools to Salinas

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

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

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#1

Hartnell College

Salinas, CA 2.1 miles from Salinas
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
59.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,316
Avg net price $2,039/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,404
Out‑of‑state$10,374
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

History Wages Near Salinas

Salinas is part of the Salinas, CA metro area (BLS area code 41500). 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)
Historians $97,420 CA statewide $89,376
Archivists $70,530 CA statewide $64,706
Curators $78,740 CA statewide $72,239
Museum Technicians and Conservators $61,550 CA statewide $56,468
History Teachers, Postsecondary $127,170 CA statewide $116,670
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $101,590 Salinas, CA $93,202
Writers and Authors $86,480 CA statewide $79,339
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists $76,080 Salinas, CA $69,798

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.

Salinas at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 161,993 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $89,150 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 15.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.0 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Salinas-Area Cities With History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited history schools are near Salinas, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering history programs near Salinas. The closest is Hartnell College in Salinas, CA (2.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Santa Cruz (31.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying history roles near Salinas?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying history-related roles near Salinas are: History Teachers, Postsecondary ($127,170), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education ($101,590), Historians ($97,420). 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 Marina instead of Salinas?

Marina, CA is 8.8 miles from Salinas and has its own set of local history programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Salinas an affordable place to study history?

Salinas’s median household income of $89,150 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Salinas 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 History Programs

Other Programs Available in Salinas

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

Data verified: September 5, 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.

Back to Best History Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)