Hospitality & Tourism Management Schools Near Ridgecrest, CA

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Ridgecrest, California has 2 accredited schools offering hospitality management programs, with tuition ranging from $1,166 to $10,958 per year for indexed programs. Ridgecrest has a population of about 28,138. Median household income is $88,107 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area, the top-earning hospitality management-related role is Food Service Manager at a median $70,610 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Hospitality Management Schools to Ridgecrest

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

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 200.3 miles from Ridgecrest BOC Score 83.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 36%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,909
Avg net price $15,364/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 57

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

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

Hospitality Management Wages Near Ridgecrest

Ridgecrest is part of the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area (BLS area code 12540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Lodging Manager$67,130Bakersfield-Delano, CA$66,531
Food Service Manager$70,610Bakersfield-Delano, CA$69,980
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner$58,220Bakersfield-Delano, CA$57,701

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.

Ridgecrest at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population28,138Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$88,107Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+31.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Ridgecrest-Area Cities With Hospitality Management Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited hospitality management schools are near Ridgecrest, CA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering hospitality management programs near Ridgecrest. The closest is University of Antelope Valley in Lancaster, CA (70.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of the Canyons (99.1 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying hospitality management roles near Ridgecrest?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying hospitality management-related roles near Ridgecrest are: Food Service Manager ($70,610), Lodging Manager ($67,130), Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner ($58,220). 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 Barstow instead of Ridgecrest?

Barstow, CA is 63.3 miles from Ridgecrest and has its own set of local hospitality management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Ridgecrest an affordable place to study hospitality management?

Ridgecrest’s median household income of $88,107 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ridgecrest 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 Hospitality Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Ridgecrest

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

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 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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