Best Online Human Services Programs in Thornton, CO (2026)

Thornton, Colorado has 4 accredited schools offering human services programs, with tuition ranging from $10,149 to $24,595 per year for indexed programs. Thornton has a population of about 142,878. Median household income is $100,985 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $101,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Human Services Schools to Thornton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer human services programs near Thornton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Thornton 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 Colorado schools on the Colorado human services page.


Human Services Wages Near Thornton

Thornton is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (BLS area code 19740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Human Service Assistant$49,700Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$46,975
Social and Community Service Manager$101,310Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$95,756
Child, Family and School Social Worker$67,560Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$63,856
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor$62,810Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$59,367

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.


Thornton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population142,878Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$100,985Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+32.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)105.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Thornton-Area Cities With Human Services Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited human services schools are near Thornton, CO?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering human services programs near Thornton. The closest is Metropolitan State University of Denver in Denver, CO (12.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Colorado Colorado Springs (71.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Thornton are: Social and Community Service Manager ($101,310), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($67,560), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($62,810). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northglenn instead of Thornton?

Northglenn, CO is 1.9 miles from Thornton 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 Thornton an affordable place to study human services?

Thornton’s median household income of $100,985 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Thornton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado 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 Thornton

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

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.