PENDLETON — A new study has revealed the extensive impact Blue Mountain Community College has on Eastern Oregon’s regional economy and its return of investment for students and taxpayers.

The comprehensive analysis was conducted by independent labor market research firm Lightcast, part of a larger project the Oregon Community College Association and all 17 Oregon community colleges commissioned.

The study contends BMCC generated an $157.5 million economic impact in the 2021-22 fiscal year while supporting one out of 34 jobs in the Eastern Oregon region.

The focus of the report, primarily on fiscal year 2021-22, dives deep into the regional economic impact of BMCC’s operations, student spending and alumni, along with the benefit to taxpayers and students.

According to the study, the $157.5 million impact is equivalent to approximately 2.2% of the total gross regional product within the region BMCC serves — Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Baker and Grant counties — while bringing in a total taxpayer benefit of $16.8 million.

“This report helps demonstrate what Blue Mountain Community College has been doing for over 60 years — serving and giving back to the communities we serve,” BMCC President Mark Browning said in a press release. “The impact of alumni, current students and our wonderful staff and faculty, collectively supporting some 2,305 jobs and $157.5 million annually shows a most positive return on investment of public dollars.”

The college during the span of the study employed 239 full-time and part-time faculty and staff, 95% of whom lived in the BMCC Service District. The college’s total payroll was $15.6 million.

Blue Mountain also spent $11 million on day-to-day expenses related to facilities, supplies and professional services, which added $17.7 million in income to the region during the analysis year, according to the report. The amount represents the college’s payroll, the multiplier effect from the college and its employees spending in the region and a downward adjustment to account for funding the college received from regional sources.

The $17.7 million in added income, per the report, is equivalent to supporting 258 jobs in the region.

The report also states some students would have left the area if not for the existence of Blue Mountain Community College, and about 7% of the students attending BMCC came from out of the region in fiscal year 2021-22. The students who stayed in the college’s service district and those who relocated generated $1.9 million in income for the regional economy, which supported 34 jobs in the service district.

For students, attending BMCC brings a 6.3 benefit-cost ratio. That is, for every dollar students invest in the college, they receive a cumulative value of $6.30 in higher future earnings. The rate of return for students annually is a whopping 21.8%, compared to the stock marketing 30-year average annual return of 9.6%.

Other key points from the report include:

• The net impact of BMCC’s former students employed in the regional workforce amounted to $137.9 million in added income in 2021-22.

• During fiscal year 2021-22, Oregon invested $28.7 million to support BMCC. In turn, the Oregon economy will grow by $156.2 million during the course of students’ working lives. Society also will benefit from $4.3 million of public and private sector savings.

To read the study, go to www.bluecc.edu/economic-impact.