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Best Space Studies Schools Near Rock Hill, SC (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Rock Hill, South Carolina is home to about 74,769 residents. Median household income is $64,770 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning space studies-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $173,160 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Space Studies Schools to Rock Hill
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer space studies programs near Rock Hill, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rock Hill 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 Rock Hill.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Rock Hill is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). 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)
Astronomers
N/A
SC statewide
–
Physicists
$138,400
SC statewide
$142,240
Aerospace Engineers
$132,830
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$136,516
Natural Sciences Managers
$173,160
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$177,965
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
$82,240
SC statewide
$84,522
Engineers, All Other
$118,230
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$121,511
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
$76,500
SC statewide
$78,623
Physical Scientists, All Other
$141,130
SC statewide
$145,046
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.
Rock Hill at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
74,769
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$64,770
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
34.5%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
97.3 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Rock Hill-Area Cities With Space Studies Programs
What are the highest-paying space studies roles near Rock Hill?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying space studies-related roles near Rock Hill are: Natural Sciences Managers ($173,160), Physical Scientists, All Other ($141,130), Physicists ($138,400). 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 Lancaster instead of Rock Hill?
Lancaster, SC is 20.5 miles from Rock Hill and has its own set of local space studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Rock Hill an affordable place to study space studies?
Rock Hill’s median household income of $64,770 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rock Hill 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.
Data verified: September 7, 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.
