Best Online Human Services Programs in Surprise, AZ (2026)

Surprise, Arizona has 4 accredited schools offering human services programs. Surprise has a population of about 149,519. Median household income is $93,371 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $79,200 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Human Services Schools to Surprise

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer human services programs near Surprise, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Surprise city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arizona schools on the Arizona human services page.


Human Services Wages Near Surprise

Surprise is part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area (BLS area code 38060). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arizona statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Human Service Assistant$43,230Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$41,849
Social and Community Service Manager$79,200Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$76,670
Child, Family and School Social Worker$50,150Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$48,548
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor$66,020Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$63,911

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.


Surprise at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population149,519Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$93,371Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+31.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.3 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Surprise-Area Cities With Human Services Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited human services schools are near Surprise, AZ?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering human services programs near Surprise. The closest is Ottawa University-Surprise in Surprise, AZ (5.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Phoenix-Arizona (31.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying human services roles near Surprise?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Surprise are: Social and Community Service Manager ($79,200), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($66,020), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($50,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arizona statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in El Mirage instead of Surprise?

El Mirage, AZ is 9.5 miles from Surprise and has its own set of local human services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Surprise an affordable place to study human services?

Surprise’s median household income of $93,371 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Surprise while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arizona 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 Human Services Programs

Other Programs Available in Surprise

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

Data verified: August 10, 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.