The change since 2002 of people enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution (college, university, community college).
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.
In 2019, Berks County had a 9% increase in college enrollment since 2002, enrolling over 25,000 students. Among neighboring counties in 2019, Lebanon (-37%) and Schuylkill (-64%) had decreased enrollment, while Lehigh (32%) and Montgomery (39%) counties had increased enrollment since 2002.
This measure includes students attending vocational schools and 2- and 4-year colleges. Data for this indicator are released annually in November.
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| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | N/A | 3% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 10% | 12% | 20% | 25% | 28% | 26% | 23% | 21% | 19% | 17% | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Pennsylvania | N/A | 5% | 8% | 8% | 11% | 13% | 15% | 18% | 26% | 27% | 24% | 20% | 20% | 17% | 15% | 12% | 10% | 7% |
| Berks County | N/A | 10% | 19% | 25% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 39% | 39% | 40% | 37% | 31% | 25% | 22% | 19% | 17% | 13% | 9% |
| Berks County Regions | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central | ||||||||||||||||||
| Northeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reading city | ||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County Peers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | N/A | -2% | 2% | 12% | 14% | 15% | 15% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 14% | 12% | 8% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | -0% |
| Lancaster County | N/A | 8% | 11% | 15% | 20% | 26% | 29% | -9% | -6% | -4% | -6% | -3% | -4% | -4% | -5% | -4% | -5% | -4% |
| Lebanon County | N/A | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 2% | -35% | -34% | -34% | -35% | -38% | -35% | -38% | -39% | -40% | -37% | -37% |
| Lehigh County | N/A | 21% | 28% | 32% | 35% | 35% | 38% | 42% | 49% | 44% | 38% | 34% | 28% | 25% | 30% | 30% | 33% | 32% |
| Montgomery County | N/A | 5% | 11% | 12% | 17% | 19% | 22% | 26% | 34% | 39% | 38% | 29% | 76% | 71% | 63% | 51% | 42% | 39% |
| Schuylkill County | N/A | 2% | 29% | 35% | 35% | 35% | 32% | 83% | 296% | 336% | 175% | 172% | 183% | 115% | -40% | -39% | -58% | -64% |
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 23,428,978 | 24,180,616 | 24,490,067 | 24,880,618 | 25,098,492 | 25,791,407 | 26,267,463 | 28,000,634 | 29,317,629 | 29,913,655 | 29,478,809 | 28,702,875 | 28,244,475 | 27,834,081 | 27,368,752 | 27,087,657 | 26,887,067 | 26,685,592 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Berks County Regions | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central | ||||||||||||||||||
| Northeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reading city | ||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County Peers | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Lehigh County | 17,326 | 21,048 | 22,104 | 22,786 | 23,441 | 23,362 | 23,996 | 24,666 | 25,877 | 25,018 | 23,954 | 23,143 | 22,155 | 21,626 | 22,486 | 22,554 | 22,988 | 22,829 |
| Montgomery County | 40,250 | 42,265 | 44,520 | 44,973 | 46,923 | 47,909 | 48,982 | 50,707 | 53,758 | 55,956 | 55,703 | 52,003 | 71,034 | 68,872 | 65,620 | 60,647 | 57,109 | 56,008 |
| Schuylkill County | 2,509 | 2,552 | 3,236 | 3,397 | 3,381 | 3,379 | 3,304 | 4,594 | 9,925 | 10,942 | 6,894 | 6,813 | 7,109 | 5,392 | 1,517 | 1,520 | 1,048 | 915 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | BERKS COUNTY |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten Participation |  Increasing |
| Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch | Increasing |
| English Language Learners | Increasing |
| Students Receiving Special Education Services | Increasing |
| Per Student Spending |  Maintaining |
| High School Cohort Graduation Rate | Increasing |
| Education Levels of Adults | Not Applicable |
| Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Brain Drain/Gain | Maintaining |
| Plans of High School Graduates | Not Applicable |
| Enrollment in Local Colleges |  Decreasing |
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