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In May, 2012, Dr. Nancy McCallin, president
of the Colorado Community College
System, released a study detailing the economic
impact the Colorado Community
College System’s 13 colleges have on their
local communities and on the state as
a whole.
colleges play in the economic future
of Colorado and in the lives of the 162,000
students they enroll. Highlights of the study found that the
state-wide, total economic impact of the 13
colleges in the Colorado Community College
System is $3.01 billion annually. This number
represents the higher earnings that students
earn as a result of the education they
receive from a community college, and the
increased output of businesses because of the
highly trained workforce from the Colorado
Community College System. In addition, for every $1 students invest
in their education within the Colorado
Community College System, on average,
they see an increase of $3.10 in their working
careers. On an annual basis, after adjusting
for inflation, students receive an 11 percent
rate of return on the money they invested in
their community college education. State and local governments will see, on
average in today’s dollars, a rate of return of
5.9 percent as a result of their investment in
the 13 colleges in the Colorado Community
College System. “The results of this study clearly demonstrate
the value of community colleges to
the students, the taxpayers and businesses in
Colorado. As our students earn their higher
education, they become more employable,
they are paid better, and can then afford
to invest in the kinds of products and services
to improve their lives,” said McCallin. “Additionally, businesses benefit by having
higher-skilled employees, thus enabling them
to grow, hire more employees and strengthen
the economy. “We are pleased that the results of the
study show that community colleges are a
wise investment of taxpayer and student
money because the return is substantial,” she
added. “There is the added benefit of community
colleges offering educational opportunities
for individuals who otherwise might
not have them because of our affordability,
accessibility and flexibility.”
comprises the state’s largest system of higher
education, serving more than 162,000
students annually. For more information, visit www.cccs.edu.
