| | Columbia, SC | Arcata, CA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $17,157 | $15,703 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $14,952 | $13,439 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $9,360 | $7,929 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.36 | 18.88 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 574 | 7043 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 336 | 659 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.2% | 2.2% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 7.3% | 3.9% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 90.5% | 93.9% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 18.8% | 22.5% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 7.7% | 10.6% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 44.7% | 46.4% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 11.7% | 11.9% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 4.5% | 3.8% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 3.3% | 3.4% | 1.5% |