What does this measure?
The percent 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 2023, Lancaster County had a 12% decrease in college enrollment since 2002, enrolling over 19,800 students. This was higher than the statewide decrease of 3% and lower than the national increase of 8%.
Among neighboring counties in 2023, Lebanon, York and Cumberland saw the largest decreases in enrollment since 2002, of 41%, 29%, and 19%, respectively, while Dauphin and Berks were the only counties to see increased enrollment since 2002, at 62% and 1%, respectively. Chester County had a slight decrease of 5% 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 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | N/A | 5% | 8% | 8% | 11% | 13% | 15% | 18% | 26% | 27% | 24% | 20% | 20% | 17% | 15% | 12% | 10% | 7% | 5% | 2% | -3% | -3% |
| Lancaster County | N/A | 8% | 11% | 15% | 20% | 26% | 29% | -9% | -6% | -4% | -6% | -3% | -4% | -4% | -5% | -4% | -5% | -4% | -4% | -6% | -9% | -12% |
| Berks County | N/A | 10% | 19% | 25% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 39% | 39% | 40% | 37% | 31% | 25% | 22% | 19% | 17% | 13% | 9% | -5% | -10% | 2% | 1% |
| Chester County | N/A | -2% | 2% | 12% | 14% | 15% | 15% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 14% | 12% | 8% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | -0% | -2% | -2% | -2% | -5% |
| Cumberland County | N/A | 2% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 11% | 13% | 13% | 8% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 3% | -3% | -5% | -9% | -11% | -14% | -19% |
| Dauphin County | N/A | 8% | 14% | 19% | 22% | 23% | 24% | 100% | 126% | 130% | 121% | 114% | 105% | 109% | 107% | 113% | 118% | 111% | 71% | 57% | 69% | 62% |
| Lebanon County | N/A | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 2% | -35% | -34% | -34% | -35% | -38% | -35% | -38% | -39% | -40% | -37% | -37% | -36% | -38% | -41% | -41% |
| York County | N/A | 2% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 9% | 15% | 20% | 11% | 11% | 8% | 0% | -9% | -17% | -25% | -29% | -39% | -43% | -42% | -29% |
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 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 808,428 | 808,083 |
| 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 | 20,478 | 19,819 |
| 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 | 23,553 | 23,276 |
| 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 | 27,924 | 27,179 |
| 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 | 13,597 | 12,810 |
| 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 | 31,413 | 30,113 |
| 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 | 2,416 | 2,435 |
| 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 | 6,784 | 8,233 |
| 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 | Decreasing |
| 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 |
