Best Online Public Health Programs in Lake Charles, LA (2026)

Lake Charles, Louisiana has 2 accredited schools offering public health programs. Lake Charles has a population of about 81,679. Median household income is $56,864 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lake Charles, LA metro area, the top-earning public health-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $101,320 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Health Schools to Lake Charles

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public health programs near Lake Charles, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Avery James College

Lake Charles, LA 0.2 miles from Lake Charles BOC Score 17.6
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 39%
Avg net price $18,360/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Stage One-The Hair School

Lake Charles, LA 0.6 miles from Lake Charles BOC Score 44.4
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $17,390
Avg net price $11,916/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, LA 1.5 miles from Lake Charles BOC Score 46.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,453
Avg net price $12,493/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

SOWELA Technical Community College

Lake Charles, LA 3.3 miles from Lake Charles BOC Score 49.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,303
Avg net price $7,525/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Public Health Wages Near Lake Charles

Lake Charles is part of the Lake Charles, LA metro area (BLS area code 29340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Louisiana statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Epidemiologist$73,850LA statewide$85,972
Health Education Specialist$57,840LA statewide$67,334
Medical and Health Services Manager$101,320Lake Charles, LA$117,951
Community Health Worker$46,450LA statewide$54,075

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.


Lake Charles at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population81,679Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$56,864Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+29.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)85.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lake Charles-Area Cities With Public Health Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public health schools are near Lake Charles, LA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering public health programs near Lake Charles. The closest is McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lamar University (52.7 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public health roles near Lake Charles?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public health-related roles near Lake Charles are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($101,320), Epidemiologist ($73,850), Health Education Specialist ($57,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Louisiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sulphur instead of Lake Charles?

Sulphur, LA is 8.6 miles from Lake Charles and has its own set of local public health programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lake Charles an affordable place to study public health?

Lake Charles’s median household income of $56,864 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake Charles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Louisiana 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 Health Programs

Other Programs Available in Lake Charles

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

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.