Shelton State Community College Celebrates $309 Million Economic Impact

Tuscaloosa's Shelton State Community College is celebrating recent data that demonstrates just how valuable they are to west Alabama, with an estimated economic impact exceeding $300 million.

The community college pulled data from a study conducted by the Alabama Community College System and a third party analyst called Lightcast who found the state's community college have a more than 8 billion impact.

At Shelton State, the study found the school added $309.7 million in income to the school's service area - Tuscaloosa and Bibb Counties - supporting almost 5,000 jobs.

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About $40 million of that impact came from SCCC's operational spending, like the payroll of their more than 575 faculty and staff, plus another $9 million from student spending and over $3 million in construction spending.

The lion's share of the school's economic impact, though, is from its alumni, as thousands of former students who work in their two-county service area earn incomes collectively exceeding $250 million.

The community college published a fact sheet highlighting key metrics, showing that for every dollar spent at Shelton State, students can expect a return of more than $4 in future earnings. They also said the community college paid back the $32 million in taxpayer funding they received last fiscal year with about $50 million in taxpayer benefits, such as higher earnings and increased business output generated by alumni.

“The economic and educational impact Shelton State has in West Alabama is undeniable,” said Dr. Jonathan Koh, SSCC President. “The region is better and stronger because our students learn, live, and eventually work right in here in Tuscaloosa and Bibb Counties, in high-earning careers with some of our top industry partners in automotive, healthcare, and welding. We are proud to be Tuscaloosa’s community college and honored to be among the other colleges in the Alabama Community College System.”