What does this measure?
The change since 2002 of people enrolled in a local postsecondary educational institution (college, university, community college).
Why is this important?
Higher education is associated with greater earnings and standard of living, and the rate of students pursuing further education also provides an indirect measure of the strength of the high schools.
How does our county compare?
In 2021, Lancaster County had a 6% decrease in college enrollment since 2002, enrolling nearly 21,200 students. This was lower than the statewide increase of 2% and national increase of 10%.
Among neighboring counties in 2021, Lebanon and York saw the largest decreases in enrollment of 38% and 43% respectively, while Dauphin was the only county to see increased enrollment since 2002 at 57%. Chester County had a slight decrease of 2% since 2002.
Notes about the data
This measure includes students attending vocational schools and 2- and 4-year colleges. Data for this indicator are released annually in November.
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | N/A | 5% | 8% | 8% | 11% | 13% | 15% | 18% | 26% | 27% | 24% | 20% | 20% | 17% | 15% | 12% | 10% | 7% | 5% | 2% |
| Lancaster County | N/A | 8% | 11% | 15% | 20% | 26% | 29% | -9% | -6% | -4% | -6% | -3% | -4% | -4% | -5% | -4% | -5% | -4% | -4% | -6% |
| Berks County | N/A | 10% | 19% | 25% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 39% | 39% | 40% | 37% | 31% | 25% | 22% | 19% | 17% | 13% | 9% | -5% | -10% |
| Chester County | N/A | -2% | 2% | 12% | 14% | 15% | 15% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 14% | 12% | 8% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | -0% | -2% | -2% |
| Cumberland County | N/A | 2% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 11% | 13% | 13% | 8% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 3% | -3% | -5% | -9% | -11% |
| Dauphin County | N/A | 8% | 14% | 19% | 22% | 23% | 24% | 100% | 126% | 130% | 121% | 114% | 105% | 109% | 107% | 113% | 118% | 111% | 71% | 57% |
| Lebanon County | N/A | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 2% | -35% | -34% | -34% | -35% | -38% | -35% | -38% | -39% | -40% | -37% | -37% | -36% | -38% |
| York County | N/A | 2% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 9% | 15% | 20% | 11% | 11% | 8% | 0% | -9% | -17% | -25% | -29% | -39% | -43% |
Notes: Rate is percentage change since 2002.
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 832,104 | 872,949 | 895,459 | 897,859 | 922,486 | 941,825 | 956,534 | 978,649 | 1,046,978 | 1,055,521 | 1,029,375 | 998,982 | 999,010 | 976,541 | 952,875 | 933,499 | 914,163 | 886,725 | 876,502 | 845,244 |
| Lancaster County | 22,479 | 24,363 | 24,897 | 25,856 | 27,085 | 28,357 | 29,080 | 20,457 | 21,079 | 21,469 | 21,228 | 21,700 | 21,481 | 21,535 | 21,356 | 21,666 | 21,371 | 21,531 | 21,531 | 21,173 |
| Berks County | 23,101 | 25,368 | 27,407 | 28,858 | 29,518 | 30,085 | 30,519 | 32,121 | 32,156 | 32,449 | 31,654 | 30,263 | 28,934 | 28,135 | 27,552 | 27,033 | 26,083 | 25,267 | 22,050 | 20,761 |
| Chester County | 28,608 | 28,036 | 29,132 | 31,948 | 32,669 | 32,908 | 32,936 | 32,944 | 34,119 | 33,527 | 32,701 | 31,942 | 30,833 | 29,745 | 29,409 | 29,285 | 29,067 | 28,531 | 28,085 | 28,039 |
| Cumberland County | 15,724 | 16,042 | 16,434 | 16,534 | 16,720 | 16,850 | 16,838 | 17,022 | 17,428 | 17,821 | 17,698 | 17,017 | 16,397 | 16,515 | 16,448 | 16,206 | 15,299 | 14,994 | 14,362 | 13,945 |
| Dauphin County | 18,591 | 20,097 | 21,184 | 22,054 | 22,753 | 22,841 | 23,129 | 37,117 | 41,929 | 42,716 | 41,009 | 39,866 | 38,110 | 38,801 | 38,516 | 39,566 | 40,474 | 39,155 | 31,760 | 29,159 |
| Lebanon County | 4,103 | 4,235 | 4,206 | 4,170 | 4,242 | 4,251 | 4,203 | 2,657 | 2,708 | 2,720 | 2,681 | 2,561 | 2,662 | 2,548 | 2,523 | 2,471 | 2,604 | 2,575 | 2,611 | 2,551 |
| York County | 11,630 | 11,813 | 12,445 | 12,605 | 12,406 | 12,207 | 12,350 | 12,622 | 13,360 | 14,010 | 12,950 | 12,945 | 12,539 | 11,643 | 10,584 | 9,654 | 8,757 | 8,235 | 7,052 | 6,647 |
| INDICATORS | TREND |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten Participation | Increasing |
| Student Performance on Grade 3 English | Not Applicable |
| Student Performance on Grade 8 Math | Not Applicable |
| High School Cohort Graduation Rate | Increasing |
| Per-Student Spending | Maintaining |
| Students Receiving Special Education Services | Increasing |
| Rate of Foster Care Admissions | Maintaining |
| Disengaged Youth | Maintaining |
| Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Plans of High School Graduates | Not Applicable |
| Enrollment in Local Colleges | Decreasing |
| College Graduation Rates | Decreasing |
| Brain Drain/Gain | Increasing |
| Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
