Gardena, California has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs, with tuition ranging from $7,449 to $23,191 per year for indexed programs. Gardena has a population of about 59,765. Median household income is $79,291 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $87,100 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Human Services Schools to Gardena
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer human services programs near Gardena, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gardena 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Gardena.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
93%
Graduation rate
45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,162
Avg net price
$8,615/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,449
Out‑of‑state$20,049
Key stats- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 34
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,803
Avg net price
$19,058/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 13
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,533
Avg net price
$4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,950
Avg net price
$14,379/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,951
Avg net price
$6,555/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,552
Avg net price
$3,133/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California human services page.
Human Services Wages Near Gardena
Gardena is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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) |
|---|
| Social and Human Service Assistant | $50,330 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $44,305 |
| Social and Community Service Manager | $87,100 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $76,673 |
| Child, Family and School Social Worker | $71,250 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $62,720 |
| Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor | $51,910 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $45,695 |
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.
Gardena at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 59,765 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $79,291 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 28.0% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Gardena-Area Cities With Human Services Programs
- Lawndale, CA – 2.7 mi away (33,145 pop)
- Hawthorne, CA – 2.7 mi away (88,031 pop)
- Compton, CA – 4.6 mi away (97,550 pop)
- Torrance, CA – 4.6 mi away (147,195 pop)
- Redondo Beach, CA – 4.7 mi away (67,867 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited human services schools are near Gardena, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs near Gardena. The closest is California State University-Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Touro University Worldwide (15.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying human services roles near Gardena?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Gardena are: Social and Community Service Manager ($87,100), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($71,250), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($51,910). 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 Lawndale instead of Gardena?
Lawndale, CA is 2.7 miles from Gardena 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 Gardena an affordable place to study human services?
Gardena’s median household income of $79,291 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gardena 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 Human Services Programs
Other Programs Available in Gardena
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Gardena:
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- Criminal Justice programs in Gardena, CA
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- Education programs in Gardena, CA
- Engineering programs in Gardena, CA
- Technology programs in Gardena, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Gardena, CA
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- Accounting programs in Gardena, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Gardena, CA
- Social Work programs in Gardena, CA
- Counseling programs in Gardena, CA
Data verified: July 30, 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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