If you think Brookings, Vermillion, and South Dakota’s other college towns are remarkably racially diverse, zoom out on the map. The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s fun interactive chart of state-by-state data from its new 2018 Almanac shows that, in fall 2016, South Dakota had the whitest post-secondary institutions in America:
Nationwide, white students make up 51.1% of the 19,868,804-strong post-secondary student population. In twelve states, “minority” students make up a majority of university, college, and vo-tech student bodies. Those majority-minority student populations include the four largest, in California (2.7 million), Texas (1.6M), New York (1.3M), and Florida (1.1M).
Reflective of our higher tribal population, South Dakota is one of five states where American Indians make up more than 5% of the post-secondary population (just under 2,800 Native students, out of a national Native post-secondary student population of about 139,000).
Women still outnumber men on campus. While male enrollment rose 12,000 and female enrollment dropped 100,000 from 2010 to 2016, women still outnumber men in the national post-secondary student body 56.4% to 43.6%. Women are a campus minority in only one state, West Virginia, 49.3%. Women occupy 55.0% of the university and vo-tech seats in South Dakota. The most womanly campi are found in Minnesota, where women make up 60.8% of the student body.
For perspective, throw a college dance in Minnesota, get 1,000 students to attend, and if each straight guy gets a straight gal to dance with him (assume 4% LGBT, and don’t get picky!) there will be 207 ladies left looking for fellas. Young men, consider that opportunity in your college decisions.
Still stuck on race? Do you do this to build traffic?…
…I deleted the rest of OS’s comment, because as usual, he goes off-topic and throws punches.
I’m not “stuck on race” any more than the Chronicle of Higher Education is when it publishes this demographic data. I am seeking traffic, but only from people interested in learning and analyzing demographic facts about race and sex in our higher education system.
Cory, yo know I said nothing out of line. You can censure anything you like. It is your site.
Please feel free to delete all of OS’s meandering distractions.
The various charts on that site are really interesting. Thanks for posting it.
Yep, Cory, we mostly all appreciate your great variety of posts! Naturally, there are those slow to learn or reluctant to do so who will complain,,,,,
By the way, I don’t have solid statistics, but I suspect my blog audience is also notably whiter than the nationwide blog readership average.
Uh oh. If men are a minority on college campuses, all these radical idiots who loathe white men but pretend to want equality might not know who to hate!
We have to be careful that this controlling majority of women don’t touch the thermostat, because remember – majorities take advantage of minorities so minorities need special chaperones, right!? These poor minority males might not be able to focus on their studies if the classrooms are too warm or too cold for their fragile sensibilities! Where is the ACLU when you need them!?
Cory, I suspect you’re right, but I’d be very curious about what the national average is.