Best Online Social Work Programs in Providence, RI (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Providence, Rhode Island has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs. Providence has a population of about 190,214. Median household income is $66,772 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social Worker, All Other at a median $108,740 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

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

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

Providence is part of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (BLS area code 39300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Rhode Island statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker	$70,900	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$69,646
Healthcare Social Worker	$74,350	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$73,035
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker	$59,930	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$58,870
Social Worker, All Other	$108,740	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$106,817
Social and Community Service Manager	$77,490	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$76,120
Social and Human Service Assistant	$47,440	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$46,601
Community Health Worker	$52,130	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$51,208

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.

Providence at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	190,214	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$66,772	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	34.7%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	101.8 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Providence County	9,126 workers, 1,751 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

East Providence, RI – 3.4 mi away (47,337 pop)
Pawtucket, RI – 4.2 mi away (71,427 pop)
Cranston, RI – 5.2 mi away (81,034 pop)
Warwick, RI – 8.1 mi away (81,579 pop)
Attleboro, MA – 9.8 mi away (44,434 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Providence. The closest is Providence College in Providence, RI (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Salve Regina University (25.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Providence are: Social Worker, All Other ($108,740), Social and Community Service Manager ($77,490), Healthcare Social Worker ($74,350). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Rhode Island statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in East Providence instead of Providence?

East Providence, RI is 3.4 miles from Providence 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.

Providence’s median household income of $66,772 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Providence while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Rhode Island 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.

Other Programs Available in Providence

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

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.

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