Merrillville, Indiana has 5 accredited schools offering retail management programs, with tuition ranging from $4,530 to $13,800 per year for indexed programs. Merrillville has a population of about 36,343. Median household income is $64,791 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning retail management-related role is Sales Manager at a median $158,690 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Retail Management Schools to Merrillville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer retail management programs near Merrillville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Merrillville 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 Merrillville.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,596
Avg net price
$7,770/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 43%
- Programs offered: 90
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,424
Avg net price
$14,600/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 198
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,504
Avg net price
$18,805/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
84%
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,872
Avg net price
$13,171/yr
TuitionIn‑state$9,532
Out‑of‑state$22,887
Key stats- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 73
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,833
Avg net price
$14,940/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 175
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,387
Avg net price
$10,873/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 102
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,110
Avg net price
$11,225/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 51%
- Programs offered: 90
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Indiana schools on the Indiana retail management page.
Retail Management Wages Near Merrillville
Merrillville is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers | $48,900 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $47,201 |
| General and Operations Manager | $109,390 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $105,589 |
| Sales Manager | $158,690 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $153,176 |
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.
Merrillville at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 36,343 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $64,791 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 25.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Merrillville-Area Cities With Retail Management Programs
- Hobart, IN – 3.7 mi away (28,248 pop)
- Crown Point, IN – 4.3 mi away (29,176 pop)
- Schererville, IN – 6.5 mi away (28,701 pop)
- Gary, IN – 8.3 mi away (76,424 pop)
- Highland, IN – 8.9 mi away (22,737 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited retail management schools are near Merrillville, IN?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering retail management programs near Merrillville. The closest is City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College in Chicago, IL (21.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of DuPage (46.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying retail management roles near Merrillville?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying retail management-related roles near Merrillville are: Sales Manager ($158,690), General and Operations Manager ($109,390), First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers ($48,900). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Hobart instead of Merrillville?
Hobart, IN is 3.7 miles from Merrillville and has its own set of local retail management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Merrillville an affordable place to study retail management?
Merrillville’s median household income of $64,791 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Merrillville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Indiana 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 Retail Management Programs
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- Marketing programs in Merrillville, IN
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- Kinesiology programs in Merrillville, IN
- Sports Management programs in Merrillville, IN
- Early Childhood Education programs in Merrillville, IN
- Elementary Education programs in Merrillville, IN
- Biology programs in Merrillville, IN
- Communications programs in Merrillville, IN
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- Nursing programs in Merrillville, IN
- Business Administration programs in Merrillville, IN
- Computer Science programs in Merrillville, IN
- Psychology programs in Merrillville, IN
- Education programs in Merrillville, IN
- Engineering programs in Merrillville, IN
- Technology programs in Merrillville, IN
- Liberal Arts programs in Merrillville, IN
- Healthcare programs in Merrillville, IN
- Cybersecurity programs in Merrillville, IN
- Accounting programs in Merrillville, IN
- Healthcare Administration programs in Merrillville, IN
- Social Work programs in Merrillville, IN
- Counseling programs in Merrillville, IN
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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