Lexington, Kentucky has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $33,640 to $46,209 per year for indexed programs. Lexington has a population of about 312,495. In the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social Worker, All Other at a median $102,070 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Social Work Schools to Lexington
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer social work programs near Lexington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lexington 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 Lexington.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
93%
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,025
Avg net price
$18,851/yr
TuitionIn‑state$13,502
Out‑of‑state$34,140
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 76
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kentucky schools on the Kentucky social work page.
Social Work Wages Near Lexington
Lexington is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area (BLS area code 30460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Child, Family, and School Social Worker | $63,780 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $68,654 |
| Healthcare Social Worker | $59,340 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $63,875 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $46,860 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $50,441 |
| Social Worker, All Other | $102,070 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $109,871 |
| Social and Community Service Manager | $79,280 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $85,339 |
| Social and Human Service Assistant | $37,700 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $40,581 |
| Community Health Worker | $49,550 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $53,337 |
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.
Lexington at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 92.9 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
| Social Work-related employment in Fayette County | 4,496 workers, 697 establishments | BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Lexington-Area Cities With Social Work Programs
- Nicholasville, KY – 12.0 mi away (30,052 pop)
- Georgetown, KY – 13.5 mi away (35,353 pop)
- Winchester, KY – 14.9 mi away (25,961 pop)
- Richmond, KY – 23.8 mi away (39,267 pop)
- Frankfort, KY – 24.4 mi away (39,034 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited social work schools are near Lexington, KY?
Accredited schools offering social work programs near Lexington are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.
What are the highest-paying social work roles near Lexington?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Lexington are: Social Worker, All Other ($102,070), Social and Community Service Manager ($79,280), Child, Family, and School Social Worker ($63,780). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Nicholasville instead of Lexington?
Nicholasville, KY is 12.0 miles from Lexington 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.
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 Lexington
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lexington:
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Data verified: July 23, 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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