NEWS RELEASE

December 11, 2014

CONTACT:

Jack Beresford
jberesford@sdccd.edu
619-388-6540
@SDJackB

San Diego Community College District Contributed

$5.2 Billion to Regional Economy Last Year, Report Shows
A new analysis shows the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) and its students
contributed $5.2 billion last year to the regional economy, up from $4.0 billion in 2012-13. In
total, the districts economic impact is equal to approximately three percent of the countys
Gross Regional Product.
The study by Idaho-based Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI), analyzed spending on
college operations, including payroll and purchases, along with the economic benefits of a better
educated workforce. The increase in the districts economic impact on the region is primarily
due to a recalculation by EMSI of the contributions of former SDCCD students now in the
workforce. In 2013-14 this totals $4.9 billion up from $3.7 billion estimated by EMSI in 2013.
It is important for our community to understand the major economic impact of the San Diego
Community College District and the many financial benefits the district brings to the region,
said SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll. We are definitely a significant factor in San
Diego's economic health.
The district employs 4,568 full-time and part-time employees at City, Mesa, and Miramar
colleges, San Diego Continuing Education, and elsewhere. The net impact of payroll and
expenses in fiscal year 2013-14 came to $331.7 million, according to the report. The overall
effect of the SDCCD on the local economy is equal to the sum of the district operations and the
student productivity effect.
Additionally, social savings reduced taxpayer expenses by $186.7 million through lower
unemployment, criminal justice, and health care costs.
There is no doubt that the San Diego Community College District is an important contributor to
San Diegos economy and workforce, said Jerry Sanders, President & CEO of the San Diego

Regional Chamber of Commerce. Under the guidance of Chancellor Constance Carroll,

SDCCD produces high quality learning experiences that are preparing the workforce
of tomorrow while at the same time employing todays workforce throughout its campuses.
Among the highlights in the new report:
- The average student who graduates with an associate degree from one of the SDCCDs
colleges will see an increase in earnings of $11,700 each year compared to someone with a high
school degree or equivalent. Over a working lifetime, the increased earnings will amount to an
added total income of approximately $421,200.
- For every dollar that state and local taxpayers spent on the SDCCD in fiscal year 2013-14,
society as a whole will receive a cumulative value of $13.70 in benefits, for as long as students
who were enrolled last year stay in the states workforce.
- The SDCCDs former students generated $4.9 billion last year when counting the added
income through higher wages, the increased output of businesses that employed the students, and
the multiplier effects that occurred as students and their employers spent the added money on
other goods and services.
The San Diego Community College District is the regions largest provider of workforce
training and education, said Rich Grosch, SDCCD Board President. Our graduates are among
the highest paid in the nation which benefits our regions economy further drives growth and
innovation.

Added Anna Brown, an economist with EMSI:

The districts program offerings support a range of industry sectors in San Diego County and
supply employers with the skilled workers they need to make their businesses more productive,
said Brown. The expenditures of SDCCD, along with the spending of its employees and its
students, further support the local economy through the output and employment generated by
local businesses. Lastly, and just as importantly, the economic impact of SDCCD extends as far
as the state treasury in terms of increased tax receipts and decreased public sector costs.

As the second-largest of Californias 72 community college districts, the San Diego Community
College District serves approximately 100,000 students annually through three two-year
colleges and San Diego Continuing Education. The three colleges, San Diego City College, San
Diego Mesa College, and San Diego Miramar College, offer associate degrees and certificates
in occupational programs that prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges and entry-level
jobs.
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