Best Criminal Justice Programs in 2026

500 programs ranked · Updated 2026

Top criminal justice and public safety trade programs ranked by earnings, job outlook, and return on investment.

Programs Ranked
500
Avg Earnings
$41,048/yr
Avg TSW Score
71/100
#1 Program
Criminal Justice
San Diego Miramar College

Best Criminal Justice Programs

Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.

# Program TSW Score Earnings ROI
1 Criminal Justice
San Diego Miramar College · San Diego, CA
93
89–95
$91,647/yr 795.9x
2 Criminal Justice
Santa Rosa Junior College · Santa Rosa, CA
93
89–95
$111,649/yr 707.7x
3 Criminal Justice
San Bernardino Valley College · San Bernardino, CA
93
89–95
$94,285/yr 382.6x
4 Criminal Justice
Butte College · Oroville, CA
93
88–94
$73,170/yr 630.6x
5 Criminal Justice
Moreno Valley College · Moreno Valley, CA
93
89–95
$81,339/yr 571.8x
6 Criminal Justice
Palm Beach State College · Lake Worth, FL
92
87–93
$69,415/yr 261.0x
7 Criminal Justice
Laredo College · Laredo, TX
92
88–94
$72,049/yr 239.8x
8 Criminal Justice
Lamar Institute of Technology · Beaumont, TX
92
88–94
$71,733/yr 287.6x
9 Criminal Justice
Colorado Mountain College · Glenwood Springs, CO
92
87–93
$68,129/yr 272.2x
10 Criminal Justice
Alvin Community College · Alvin, TX
92
87–93
$67,797/yr 368.7x
11 Criminal Justice
Monroe Community College · Rochester, NY
91
87–93
$85,061/yr 144.3x
12 Criminal Justice
Red Rocks Community College · Lakewood, CO
91
87–93
$72,583/yr 167.4x
13 Criminal Justice
Gateway Technical College · Kenosha, WI
91
87–93
$73,818/yr 153.6x
14 Criminal Justice
Community College of Baltimore County · Baltimore, MD
91
87–93
$70,610/yr 189.2x
15 Criminal Justice
Washtenaw Community College · Ann Arbor, MI
91
87–93
$67,732/yr 245.0x
16 Criminal Justice
Blackhawk Technical College · Janesville, WI
91
87–92
$68,669/yr 163.7x
17 Criminal Justice
Yuba College · Marysville, CA
91
87–93
$62,350/yr 551.7x
18 Criminal Justice
Front Range Community College · Westminster, CO
90
87–92
$69,776/yr 146.2x
19 Criminal Justice
Columbus State University · Columbus, GA
90
86–91
$71,153/yr 95.1x
20 Criminal Justice
Waukesha County Technical College · Pewaukee, WI
90
86–92
$69,115/yr 145.4x
21 Criminal Justice
Yavapai College · Prescott, AZ
90
86–92
$59,511/yr 233.6x
22 Criminal Justice
Aims Community College · Greeley, CO
90
85–92
$57,841/yr 312.4x
23 Criminal Justice
Florida State College at Jacksonville · Jacksonville, FL
90
86–92
$60,055/yr 217.1x
24 Criminal Justice
Hillsborough Community College · Tampa, FL
90
86–92
$62,249/yr 246.5x
25 Criminal Justice
Indian River State College · Fort Pierce, FL
90
86–92
$60,298/yr 235.6x
26 Criminal Justice
Camden County College · Blackwood, NJ
90
85–91
$59,298/yr 195.5x
27 Criminal Justice
Galveston College · Galveston, TX
90
86–92
$61,086/yr 210.1x
28 Criminal Justice
Houston Community College · Houston, TX
90
85–91
$56,454/yr 278.3x
29 Criminal Justice
Erie Community College · Buffalo, NY
89
85–91
$70,012/yr 123.9x
30 Criminal Justice
Montgomery County Community College · Blue Bell, PA
89
85–91
$69,937/yr 126.7x
31 Criminal Justice
Fox Valley Technical College · Appleton, WI
89
85–91
$64,741/yr 130.7x
32 Criminal Justice
Grand Rapids Community College · Grand Rapids, MI
89
85–91
$59,278/yr 176.9x
33 Criminal Justice
Jefferson College · Hillsboro, MO
89
85–90
$61,641/yr 136.0x
34 Criminal Justice
Northcentral Technical College · Wausau, WI
89
85–90
$59,645/yr 153.5x
35 Criminal Justice
Pima Community College · Tucson, AZ
89
84–90
$53,544/yr 224.9x
36 Criminal Justice
Johnson County Community College · Overland Park, KS
89
85–91
$55,171/yr 267.6x
37 Criminal Justice
Austin Community College District · Austin, TX
89
85–91
$55,230/yr 261.9x
38 Criminal Justice
Wharton County Junior College · Wharton, TX
89
85–91
$55,919/yr 213.3x
39 Criminal Justice
Owens Community College · Perrysburg, OH
88
84–89
$63,966/yr 110.2x
40 Criminal Justice
Blinn College District · Brenham, TX
88
85–90
$61,585/yr 133.5x
41 Criminal Justice
Chippewa Valley Technical College · Eau Claire, WI
88
84–90
$60,737/yr 131.9x
42 Criminal Justice
Western Technical College · La Crosse, WI
88
84–89
$59,276/yr 120.4x
43 Criminal Justice
Daytona State College · Daytona Beach, FL
88
84–90
$52,755/yr 179.8x
44 Criminal Justice
Polk State College · Winter Haven, FL
88
84–89
$53,333/yr 157.4x
45 Criminal Justice
Wor-Wic Community College · Salisbury, MD
88
84–90
$53,813/yr 162.8x
46 Criminal Justice
Rio Salado College · Tempe, AZ
88
84–90
$51,384/yr 240.0x
47 Criminal Justice
Eastern Florida State College · Melbourne, FL
88
84–90
$51,461/yr 217.7x
48 Criminal Justice
San Juan College · Farmington, NM
88
84–90
$49,243/yr 274.1x
49 Criminal Justice
Cape Fear Community College · Wilmington, NC
88
84–90
$52,282/yr 173.1x
50 Criminal Justice
Durham Technical Community College · Durham, NC
88
84–90
$49,893/yr 250.2x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Criminal Justice ranks 500 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.

Data sources

Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.

How to read the table

Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.

Caveats & limitations

Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.

Methodology

Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), combining graduate earnings, job market demand, and tuition ROI. Earnings data is from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2025.

See Also