Early childhood education has lasting impacts that extend into primary education and beyond. Preschool experience positively influences child cognitive, language and social development in addition to preparation for learning in an academic environment.
* Preschool-age children are a very narrow group of the population. The estimates for the proportion of these children enrolled in early education in small counties (population under 10,000) have wide margins of error, and readers should use caution when interpreting these statistics.
Individuals who have earned a four-year degree or higher experience increased salaries and worker benefits, more mobility and improved health. This measure is an important indicator of human capital and is frequently used to describe a community’s labor force for purposes of economic development.
An associate degree or other two-year credential confers benefits similar to those connected with higher levels of education attainment, but to a lesser degree. In Oregon, there is broad support for having 40% of the population earn two-year degrees or equivalent trade certification.
Unfortunately, the current proportion of the state population with this level of education falls far short of this goal. The discrepancy between aspiration and reality manifests in counties as shortages of skilled labor and tradespeople.
For generations, the four-year graduation rate has served as a key measure of success for K-12 education institutions. Students who fail to graduate before leaving high school will face significant challenges as their adult life unfolds: gaining employment, continuing their education and engaging in their community.
As Oregon and the nation continue to transition away from extractive and industrial economies, it becomes increasingly important for students to graduate from high school on time and ready to attend college and/or enter the workforce.
Colleges and universities are important economic drivers for the communities and regions where they are located. They offer a stabilizing influence during downturns in the business cycle.
Most obviously they increase human capital by producing educated graduates, but they also contribute to attracting a skilled labor force. Many alumni remain in the communities where they graduate, adding to the local economy through higher wages and tax revenue.
College enrollment normalized to community population is a proxy indicator of these positive influences. “No college” indicates that there is no primary campus for a public community college or university in the county.