Best Online Social Work Programs in Lemon Grove, CA (2026)

Lemon Grove, California has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $43,550 to $56,664 per year for indexed programs. Lemon Grove has a population of about 27,489. Median household income is $79,278 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Healthcare Social Worker at a median $82,630 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Social Work Schools to Lemon Grove

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer social work programs near Lemon Grove. Distances are calculated from Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 3.6 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score83.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA 8.6 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score35.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, CA 12.8 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score68.1
Published tuition$43,550 - $56,664
Online programsYes

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#4

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 28.4 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score75.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

University of Massachusetts Global

Irvine, CA 76.6 miles from Lemon Grove BOC Score44.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
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 Lemon Grove

Lemon Grove is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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$59,770San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$53,414
Healthcare Social Worker$82,630San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$73,843
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$75,570San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$67,534
Social Worker, All Other$77,010San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$68,820
Social and Community Service Manager$79,770San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$71,287
Social and Human Service Assistant$49,500San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$44,236
Community Health Worker$52,350San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$46,783

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.


Lemon Grove at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,489Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$79,278Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+20.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in San Diego County65,277 workers, 34,989 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lemon Grove-Area Cities With Social Work Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Lemon Grove, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Lemon Grove. The closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Massachusetts Global (76.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Lemon Grove?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Lemon Grove are: Healthcare Social Worker ($82,630), Social and Community Service Manager ($79,770), Social Worker, All Other ($77,010). 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 La Mesa instead of Lemon Grove?

La Mesa, CA is 2.7 miles from Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove an affordable place to study social work?

Lemon Grove’s median household income of $79,278 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lemon Grove 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 Lemon Grove

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

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.