| | Columbia, SC | Amherst, NY | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $17,157 | $23,413 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $14,952 | $19,132 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $9,360 | $12,129 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.36 | 11.41 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 574 | 868 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 336 | 319 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.2% | 2.2% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 7.3% | 2.8% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 90.5% | 95.0% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 18.8% | 14.7% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 7.7% | 9.4% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 44.7% | 56.8% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 11.7% | 19.1% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 4.5% | 5.1% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 3.3% | 4.3% | 1.5% |