Best Online Social Work Programs in Brea, CA (2026)

Brea, California has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $7,008 to $27,755 per year for indexed programs. Brea has a population of about 47,337. Median household income is $124,837 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $87,100 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Social Work Schools to Brea

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer social work programs near Brea. Distances are calculated from Brea city center.

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 Brea. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 3.0 miles from Brea BOC Score85.3
Published tuition$7,073 - $18,953
Online programsYes

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#2

Whittier College

Whittier, CA 10.1 miles from Brea BOC Score44.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#3

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA 13.6 miles from Brea BOC Score39.5
Published tuition$14,600 - $27,755
Online programsYes

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#4

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA 14.2 miles from Brea BOC Score72.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 17.2 miles from Brea BOC Score86.2
Published tuition$7,008 - $20,310
Online programsYes

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


Social Work Wages Near Brea

Brea 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)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker$71,250Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$62,720
Healthcare Social Worker$79,830Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$70,273
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$78,410Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$69,023
Social Worker, All Other$68,630Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$60,414
Social and Community Service Manager$87,100Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$76,673
Social and Human Service Assistant$50,330Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$44,305
Community Health Worker$56,030Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$49,322

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.


Brea at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population47,337Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$124,837Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Orange County59,804 workers, 37,794 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Brea-Area Cities With Social Work Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Brea, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Brea. The closest is California State University-Fullerton in Fullerton, CA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Long Beach (17.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Brea?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Brea are: Social and Community Service Manager ($87,100), Healthcare Social Worker ($79,830), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($78,410). 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 Placentia instead of Brea?

Placentia, CA is 3.1 miles from Brea and has its own set of local social work programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Brea an affordable place to study social work?

Brea’s median household income of $124,837 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brea 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 Social Work Programs

Other Programs Available in Brea

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

Data verified: June 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.