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Best Physics Schools Near Sonora, CA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Sonora, California has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs. Sonora has a population of about 4,965. Median household income is $62,621 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $207,490 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Physics Schools to Sonora
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Sonora, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Sonora 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 Sonora.
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.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California physics page.
Physics Wages Near Sonora
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (California, statewide)
Physicists
$207,490
Biochemists and Biophysicists
$139,580
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
$139,420
Mathematicians
$126,710
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
$124,920
Engineers, All Other
$130,850
Software Developers
$174,410
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$101,370
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.
How many accredited physics schools are near Sonora, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Sonora. The closest is Columbia College in Sonora, CA (3.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Merced College (45.0 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying physics roles in California?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles in California are: Physicists ($207,490), Software Developers ($174,410), Biochemists and Biophysicists ($139,580). Wages for Sonora workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Oakdale instead of Sonora?
Oakdale, CA is 29.5 miles from Sonora and has its own set of local physics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Sonora an affordable place to study physics?
Sonora’s median household income of $62,621 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Sonora 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 5, 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.
