Best Public Administration Schools Near Orange, CA (2026)

Orange, California has 24 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Orange has a population of about 138,723. Median household income is $116,945 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 40.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $125,830 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to Orange

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Orange, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Orange 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 California schools on the California public administration page.


Public Administration Wages Near Orange

Orange 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$87,100Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$76,673
Urban and Regional Planner$111,380Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$98,046
General and Operations Manager$125,830Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$110,766
Management Analyst$104,930Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$92,368

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.


Orange at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population138,723Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$116,945Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+40.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Orange, CA?

Our directory has 24 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Orange. The closest is Chapman University in Orange, CA (1.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Azusa Pacific University (22.9 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Orange?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Orange are: General and Operations Manager ($125,830), Urban and Regional Planner ($111,380), Management Analyst ($104,930). 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 Anaheim instead of Orange?

Anaheim, CA is 3.2 miles from Orange and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Orange an affordable place to study public administration?

Orange’s median household income of $116,945 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Orange 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 Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Orange

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

Data verified: August 11, 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.