Best Social Work Schools Near Lexington, SC (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Lexington, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs. Lexington has a population of about 24,132. Median household income is $83,263 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbia, SC metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social Worker, All Other at a median $100,420 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:

  • 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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 11.1 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,177
Avg net price $22,811/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 165

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Benedict College

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
16.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,902
Avg net price $18,250/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Columbia College

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
37.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,338
Avg net price $18,408/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, SC 40.0 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
29.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,262
Avg net price $18,097/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Winthrop University

Rock Hill, SC 66.7 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,185
Avg net price $15,343/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Limestone University

Gaffney, SC 77.8 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Social Work Wages Near Lexington

Lexington is part of the Columbia, SC metro area (BLS area code 17900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker $50,610 Columbia, SC $54,013
Healthcare Social Worker $62,130 Columbia, SC $66,307
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker $48,250 Columbia, SC $51,494
Social Worker, All Other $100,420 Columbia, SC $107,172
Social and Community Service Manager $78,240 Columbia, SC $83,501
Social and Human Service Assistant $38,550 Columbia, SC $41,142
Community Health Worker $45,820 Columbia, SC $48,901

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
Population 24,132 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $83,263 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 48.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lexington-Area Cities With Social Work Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Lexington, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Lexington. The closest is University of South Carolina-Columbia in Columbia, SC (11.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Augusta University (56.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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 ($100,420), Social and Community Service Manager ($78,240), Healthcare Social Worker ($62,130). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Columbia instead of Lexington?

Columbia, SC is 18.4 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.

Is Lexington an affordable place to study social work?

Lexington’s median household income of $83,263 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lexington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina 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 Lexington

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

Data verified: September 6, 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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