Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Administrators, policymakers, parents, and students are increasingly asking for information on post-collegiate earnings and employment. There are a number of sources for these data available at the local, state, and federal level. Although there is general agreement about the need for these data in program evaluation and college decisions, there is much less agreement about the most appropriate metrics and data sources – and results will vary depending on these choices. For example, not all students are represented in every data source: federal College Scorecard data are based only on students who received federal financial aid, while state unemployment insurance system wage data do not include the self-employed, federal employees, and graduates working out of state. Focusing on work done in Texas and Florida, this study compares the impact of different data sources and different metrics across states to better understand 1) how sensitive metrics are to the source of data, and 2) whether limitations of the data source (e.g, population represented) are widespread (across states) or more localized (within states). The study concludes with recommendations for the most appropriate uses of these data for local colleges, policymakers, program evaluators, and students and parents.