Data Caveats

Updated 01/02/2026

Denominators or Population Size: The denominator, population, or n size is important to note when you are viewing the data displayed. For the two Comparison views, the denominators are displayed on the vertical axis in brackets ( ) next to the chart labels and in the hover over. However, they are not displayed on the Explore Time Trends & Equity view. All denominators for all metrics, all years, and all student populations are available in the CSV download. 

Employment & Earnings Metrics: The CCCCO data source for Earnings Metrics (Attained a Living Wage, Median Annual Earnings, Median Change in Earnings) is the California Employment Development Department Unemployment Insurance file. There are instances when a student may not appear in the EDD UI wage file: invalid Social Security Number (SSN); self-employed; employed by the federal government; employed outside California; not employed between October-December in the year after exit from all postsecondary.
NOTE: Only students who have exited all postsecondary are included in any Employment & Earnings metrics. A student is determined to have exited from all postsecondary if there is no record at any community college and if an enrollment for that student can not be found in the match with CSU/UC or the National Student Clearinghouse for the entire academic year. Therefore, data is lagged by one academic year.

The CCCCO data source for the Employment metric, Job Closely Related to Field of Study, is the CTE Outcomes Survey, an annual survey funded by the CCCCO and administered by Santa Rosa Junior College CTEOS. Both credit and non-credit students are surveyed, and the exact definition of who is included in the survey cohort can be found in their FAQ. Data is lagged by an additional year to survey the exiting students. Because the number of students who responded to this question in the survey can be low, depending on the student population selected, it is very important to pay attention to the denominator (n size) when using and interpreting the data displayed for this metric.

TOP4 or TOP6 Program Information: As with any display of program information at the TOP4 or TOP6 level, further exploration is often needed to understand what degrees,  certificates, and courses are offered on a particular TOP code at each college, especially when making program comparisons across colleges. The Chancellor's Office Curriculum Inventory System (COCI) provides information on programs and courses at the TOP code level at all California community colleges, which can be exported to Excel. Because colleges regularly update this information, it is recommended to check COCI frequently and talk with faculty, program chairs, or deans at other colleges to fully understand how programs on the same TOP code compare across colleges.