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Best Intelligence Studies Schools Near San Luis Obispo, CA
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
San Luis Obispo, California is home to about 48,039 residents. Median household income is $66,711 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area, the top-earning intelligence studies-related role is Information Security Analysts at a median $133,100 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Intelligence Studies Schools to San Luis Obispo
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer intelligence studies programs near San Luis Obispo, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
San Luis Obispo is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area (BLS area code 42020). 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)
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
$124,840
CA statewide
$114,954
Political Scientists
N/A
CA statewide
–
Management Analysts
$84,290
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$77,615
Compliance Officers
$91,570
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$84,319
Information Security Analysts
$133,100
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$122,560
Private Detectives and Investigators
$61,250
CA statewide
$56,400
Managers, All Other
$128,110
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$117,965
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
$79,130
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$72,864
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.
San Luis Obispo at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
48,039
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$66,711
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
54.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
108.6 (above U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other San Luis Obispo-Area Cities With Intelligence Studies Programs
What are the highest-paying intelligence studies roles near San Luis Obispo?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying intelligence studies-related roles near San Luis Obispo are: Information Security Analysts ($133,100), Managers, All Other ($128,110), Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($124,840). 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 Arroyo Grande instead of San Luis Obispo?
Arroyo Grande, CA is 10.9 miles from San Luis Obispo and has its own set of local intelligence studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is San Luis Obispo an affordable place to study intelligence studies?
San Luis Obispo’s median household income of $66,711 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Luis Obispo 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.
Data verified: September 7, 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.
