College supports 9,036 jobs across six-county service region
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) added $709.7 million in income to the regional economy in fiscal year 2024-25, according to a new economic impact study conducted by Lightcast.
The study examined EICC’s impact across Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott counties. The college’s financial impact was equal to approximately 3.3% of the region’s gross regional product and supported 9,036 jobs. That means one in every 22 jobs in the region is supported by the activities of EICC and its students.
“These numbers tell an important story about what happens when people have access to education and training close to home,” EICC Chancellor Bryan Renfro said. “Students gain skills, employers gain talent and our communities become stronger. That is the kind of impact EICC is here to make.”
The largest share of EICC’s economic impact comes from its alumni. Former students working in the region generated $651.6 million in added income during the year, the impact equivalent to supporting 8,179 jobs. Their education and training lead to higher earnings and increases the productivity of their employer.
EICC’s operations added another $41.4 million in income to the regional economy. The college employed 628 full- and part-time faculty and staff during the year who earned $39.1 million in payroll and benefits.
Student spending generated an additional $16.8 million in added income. About 22% of EICC credit students came from outside the region. The study also accounts for local students who may have left the area to pursue their education if EICC was not here.
The study also analyzed what students, taxpayers and the state received in return for their investment in the college.
For every $1 student invests in their EICC education, they receive an estimated $6.20 in higher future earnings, or 19.4 representing an average annual rate return.
For the average EICC associate degree graduate, those earnings add up. Those alumni can expect to earn about $11,330 more each year than someone with a high school diploma working in Iowa. Over a working lifetime, that amounts to an estimated $498,500 in additional earnings.
Taxpayers also see a positive return. For every $1 of public money invested in EICC, taxpayers receive an estimated $1.90 in added tax revenue and public sector savings over the course of students’ working lives. Total taxpayer benefits are estimated at $92.9 million.
For every $1 society invests in EICC, the study estimates Iowa receives $9.10 in added income and social savings. Total benefits to society are estimated at $1 billion.
EICC served 11,468 credit students and 10,789 noncredit students in fiscal year 2024-25. The study estimates 86% of students remain in the six-county region after finishing their time at EICC, taking their education and skills into local workplaces and communities.
“Economic impact is ultimately about people,” Renfro said. “It is the student who earns a credential and starts a career here, the employee who gains a new skill and moves forward, and the employer that can grow because it has the workforce it needs. When those things happen, the whole region benefits.”
Lightcast conducted the study using EICC student, employee and financial data from fiscal year 2024-25, along with industry and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and Lightcast’s economic modeling tools.
EICC serves students and communities throughout eastern Iowa through Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges and additional learning locations across the region. EICC offers career and technical education, university transfer pathways, continuing education, workforce training and other educational opportunities designed to help students move forward and strengthen the communities the college serves.