Best Public Administration Schools Near Porterville, CA (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Porterville, California has 2 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $20,095 per year for indexed programs. Porterville has a population of about 62,765. Median household income is $59,012 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 14.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Visalia, CA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is Urban and Regional Planner at a median $102,200 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Porterville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Porterville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Porterville 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:

  • 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 Porterville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA 49.5 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,009
Avg net price $5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 65.0 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,244
Avg net price $7,000/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 96

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA 127.4 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,712
Avg net price $30,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 129.2 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 142.6 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,188
Avg net price $6,067/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 146.4 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
73.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,211
Avg net price $3,967/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 147.3 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 267

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA 148.4 miles from Porterville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,677
Avg net price $22,212/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California public administration page.

Public Administration Wages Near Porterville

Porterville is part of the Visalia, CA metro area (BLS area code 47300). 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$80,730Visalia, CA$80,892
Urban and Regional Planner$102,200Visalia, CA$102,405
General and Operations Manager$98,600Visalia, CA$98,798
Management Analyst$82,750Visalia, CA$82,916

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.

Porterville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population62,765Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,012Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+14.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)99.8 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Porterville-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Porterville. The closest is California State University-Bakersfield in Bakersfield, CA (49.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Fresno (65.0 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Porterville are: Urban and Regional Planner ($102,200), General and Operations Manager ($98,600), Management Analyst ($82,750). 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 Tulare instead of Porterville?

Tulare, CA is 19.5 miles from Porterville 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 Porterville an affordable place to study public administration?

Porterville’s median household income of $59,012 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Porterville 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 Porterville

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

Data verified: August 31, 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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