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Perspectives

Pittsburgh Perspectives  

 Archive List Link to PEQ
Monday, October 30, 2023  01:00 PM  (51)

Profile of College Students in the Pittsburgh Region

Fall in Pittsburgh brings the arrival of many new college students to the region’s institutions of higher education. Newly matriculating and returning students together comprise a significant proportion of the young adult population across the Pittsburgh region. College students include individuals enrolled in community colleges, undergraduate students in programs leading to bachelor's degrees, and also students enrolled in graduate programs. The Department of Education counts over 60 local institutionsof higher education, with at least 20 institutions having total enrollments of 1,000 students or more. 

Some students have moved into the region specifically to enroll at local colleges and universities, while others are long-time residents including those who are continuing their education. In addition, students have a significant impact in local housing markets and the region's labor force. Here data from the American Community Survey Five-Year (2017-2021) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) is compliled to summarize the characteristics of the student population residing within the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and various subregions, including the City of Pittsburgh.

In total, an estimated 145 thousand residents of the Pittsburgh MSA are enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students. Just under 76% (110,137) of regional students are undergraduates, while 25% (35,050) are enrolled in graduate programs. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, 56% of undergraduates live in Allegheny County, with the remainder residing in one of the seven other counties that comprise the MSA. 69% of graduate students residing within the MSA live in Allegheny County. 

Characteristics of College Students in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area

  Pittsburgh MSA Total* City of Pittsburgh Allegheny County outside of the city of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh MSA outside of Allegheny County*
Total Resident College Students 145,188   45,780   40,790   58,618  
  Undergraduate 110,137 75.9% 32,963 72.0% 29,270 71.8% 47,904 81.7%
  Graduate or Professional School 35,050 24.1% 12,817 28.0% 11,520 28.2% 10,713 18.3%
                 
Students by Age                
  Age 21 and younger 66,636 45.9% 24,073 52.6% 13,670 33.5% 28,893 49.3%
  Age 22-24 32,152 22.1% 10,554 23.1% 9,144 22.4% 12,454 21.2%
  Age 25-34 27,276 18.8% 8,230 18.0% 10,324 25.3% 8,722 14.9%
  Age 35-44 9,573 6.6% 1,713 3.7% 3,748 9.2% 4,112 7.0%
  Age 45 and over 9,551 6.6% 1,210 2.6% 3,904 9.6% 4,437 7.6%
                 
Students by Race                
  White 114,902 79.1% 30,977 67.7% 31,836 78.0% 52,089 88.9%
  Black 13,459 9.3% 5,290 11.6% 5,269 12.9% 2,900 4.9%
  Asian 9,136 6.3% 6,825 14.9% 1,494 3.7% 817 1.4%
  All other, includes multi-race 7,690 5.3% 2,688 5.9% 2,191 5.4% 2,811 4.8%
                 
Foreign Born Students 12,365 8.5% 7,172 15.7% 3,319 8.1% 1,874 3.2%
                 
Students employed1 87,301  60.1%  22,763  49.7%  28,529  69.9%  20,018  61.4% 

Compiled from American Community Survey Five-Year (2017-2021) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data.

* Data here reflects the current eight-county definition of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Many students fall outside the age range of traditional undergraduates. While 46% of all regional students are under the age of 22, over 55% are age 22 or over. A higher proportion of students residing in the city of Pittsburgh are under the age of 22 (52.6%) than in either the remainder of Allegheny County (33.5%) or the remaining counties of the Pittsburgh MSA (49.3%). College students are most concentrated within the city of Pittsburgh where just over 61% of the population between the ages of 18-25 are currently enrolled students. 

Concentration of College Students by Age Within the Pittsburgh MSA

  Pittsburgh MSA total* City of Pittsburgh Allegheny County outside of the City of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh MSA outside of Allegheny County*
Age Group Total Population College Students Total Population College Students Total Population College Students Total Population College Students
Age 18-21 118,830 65,976 55.5% 30,499 23,980 78.6% 31,187 13,650 43.8% 57,144 28,346 49.6%
Age 22-25 118,897 32,152 27.0% 25,569 10,554 41.3% 38,807 9,144 23.6% 54,521 12,454 22.8%
Age 26-35 326,614 27,276 8.4% 62,975 8,230 13.1% 124,424 10,324 8.3% 139,215 8,722 6.3%
Age 36-44 294,201 9,573 3.3% 34,143 1,713 5.0% 115,804 3,748 3.2% 144,254 4,112 2.9%
Age 45 and over 1,154,663 9,551 0.8% 107,580 1,210 1.1% 439,054 3,904 0.9% 608,029 4,437 0.7%

Compiled from American Community Survey Five-Year (2017-2021) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data.

* Data here reflects the current eight-county definition of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

 

Over 12 thousand regional students are foreign-born, including many international students who have come to Pittsburgh to enroll in local schools. Just under 85%, or 10,491, of the region’s foreign-born students live within Allegheny County. Only 15%, or an estimated 1,874 foreign-born students, reside in any of the remaining seven counties of the Pittsburgh MSA.

Over 87 thousand or just over 60% of all regional students are also employed1. Students residing within the city of Pittsburgh had the lowest reported emploment rate (49.7%) while students within Allegheny County but residing outside of the city of Pittsburgh were the most likely to also be employed (69.9%).  Just under 160 thousand residents of the city of Pittsburgh are employed, which means just over 14% of employed residents in the city are also enrolled in college.  

An estimated 30,925 (21.3%) of all college students in the region live in group quarters such as college dormatories.  An estimated 13,550 (9.2%) students live by themselves in single-person households, and 29,555 live in two-person households.

College Students by Household Size in the Pittsburgh MSA*

Living in Group Quarters such as Dormatories 30,925 21.3%
     
Total Persons in Household    
One Person 13,550 9.3%
Two Persons 29,555 20.4%
Three Persons 30,424 21.0%
Four or More Persons 40,733 28.1%

Compiled from American Community Survey Five-Year (2017-2021) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data.

* Data here reflects the current eight-county definition of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Estimates presented here were compiled from the American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (2017-2021) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) for the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Data here reflects the current eight-county definintion of the Pittsburgh MSA. The Pittsburgh MSA was redefined in 2023 to include eight counties of southwestern Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland. 

__________________________________________________

1 The American Community Survey is a year-round survey program. Employment data reflects an average over the year which aggreates employment through the traditional school year and summer employment.   



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