×

Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West

Over 35 key data indicators to promote data informed decision-making

In this electronic factbook, Policy Indicators for Higher Education: WICHE States, WICHE compiles data from a variety of sources into regional and state-level data tables across a range of topics important to policymakers, educators, and researchers in the West.

The indicators are updated throughout the year as newer data become available. But because the data sources have varying schedules for releasing data, the most recent year covered by each indicator may vary. Detailed source and notes are included in each table.

View the data tables by selecting a dropdown to view a specific or all data categories. Clicking the title links within will download an Excel file with regional and state-by-state data. In addition to the downloadable Excel files, the latest enrollment data can be viewed in an interactive tableau dashboard using the button below.

Population by Age, 2022

Total population by age group and population projections through the mid-2020s

Population by Race and Ethnicity, 2022

Total population by race and ethnicity

Educational Attainment of Adults 25-64 Years Old, 2021

Share of adults with an associate or higher degree

Job Growth and Education Requirements Through 2020

Projected labor market needs from The Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce 

Race/Ethnicity of High School Graduates, 2021-22 & 2031-32

Projections of public high school graduates by race and ethnicity. See WICHE’s Knocking at the College Door for more detailed data on the projections of high school graduates through 2037. 

Ratio of First-Time Freshmen to High School Graduates, Fall 2022

Number of high school graduates and number of students enrolled in a postsecondary institution within 12 months of graduating high school

Postsecondary Degrees per 100 High School Graduates, 2021

Number of high school graduates and number of associate degree recipients three years later and bachelor degree recipients six years later

Race/Ethnicity of Undergraduates, Fall 2022 

Number of undergraduates by state and race/ethnicity, as well as the change in the relative share of the undergraduate population by race and ethnicity in the past ten years

Undergraduates by Type of Institution, 2021-22

Total number of undergraduates by type of institution (public two- and four-year and private nonprofit) and the share of total undergraduates enrolled by institution type

Undergraduates by Age, Fall 2021

Count of undergraduates enrolled by age grouping, part- and full-time status, and institution type (public two- and four-year and private nonprofit)

Full-time or Part-time Status of Undergraduates, Fall 2022

Number of undergraduates enrolled by part- and full-time status and the share of enrollment by institution type

Residence and Migration of First-Time Freshmen, Fall 2022

Number of first-time undergraduates enrolled in postsecondary institutions by state of residency

 

Graduation Rates by Institutional Type, 2021

Graduation rates of first-time, full-time undergraduates (degree awarded within 150 percent of program time), statewide averages, by type of postsecondary institution 

Completion and Transfer, Fall 2014 Cohort 

More expansive than Graduation Rates, this indicator table provides the completion and transfer patterns of undergraduates by their type of enrollment (part- or full-time) and whether they were enrolling for the first-time or not (see also WICHE Insights Exploring IPEDS Outcome Measures in the WICHE Region)

 

Tuition and Fees at Public Two- and Four-Year Institutions, 2023-24

State and regional average tuition and fees at public two- and four-year institutions in the West.

Tuition and Fees as a Percent of Household Income, 2021 

State average tuition and fees at public two- and four-year institutions as a percent of household income for households with children under 18 (these data are also displayed in the annually updated Benchmarks: WICHE Region

 

Type of Aid Received by First-Time Freshmen, 2020-21

Percentage of first-time undergraduates receiving aid by type of aid (federal, state/local, and institutional grants and loans)

Average Grant Aid per Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTE), 2021-22

Restricted and unrestricted grant aid per FTE at public institutions by Carnegie Classification (associates, baccalaureate/master’s, and research)

Pell Grants: Recipients and Average Awards, 2013-14 to 2017-18

The most recent fiscal year and historical data on Pell awards and recipients by state

Pell Grants and Other Grant Awards by Institution Type, 2020

State-level amounts of grant aid awarded by type of institution (public two- and four-year and private nonprofit)

State Grant Aid Awards: Percent Need-Based and Average per Undergraduate, 2021-22

Average amount of state-sponsored grant aid awarded and share of aid awarded on the basis on need 

View trends in state grant aid awarded per-student on WICHE’s annually updated finance dashboard.

State Support for Higher Education, K-12 Education, Medicaid, and Corrections, FY 2023

Dollar amounts and share of total state spending by expenditure category (K-12, Higher education, Temporary and Other Assistance, Medicaid, Corrections, Transportation, and Other)

State Support to Higher Education, K-12 Education, Medicaid, and Corrections: Change Over Time

Five- and one-year change in state expenditures by category (K-12, Higher education, Temporary and Other Assistance, Medicaid, Corrections, Transportation, and Other)

State Support to Higher Education: Percent of Tax Revenue, FY 2011 to FY 2023

State general fund expenditures to higher education as a share of state tax revenue over the past 10 fiscal years

State Support to Higher Education: Percent of General Fund Expenditures, FY 2012 to FY 2023

Trends in state general fund expenditures to higher education and the share of all general fund expenditures

View trends in state funding per-student on WICHE’s annually updated finance dashboard.

Institutional Revenues by Source, FY 2022

Distribution revenue at public institutions by source of revenue and institution type

Tuition and Fees Revenue as a Share of Instructional Expenditures, FY 2022

Tuition and fees revenue as share of institutional expenditures at public institutions by institution type

Tuition and Fees Revenues: Share of Operating Expenditures, FY 2022

Tuition and fees revenue as share of operating expenditures at public institutions by institution type

Operating Expenditures by Function, FY 2022

Annual expenditures by functional area and share of total operational expenditures

Operating Expenditures per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), FY 2022

Operating expenditures per student by institution type

Sources of Research and Development Funding, FY 2022

Research and development expenditures at colleges and universities by source of funds

For more information, please contact:

Colleen Falkenstern

Senior Research Analyst, Policy Analysis and Research


303.541.0313

cfalkenstern@wiche.edu