School type
Highly selective private
Class size*
315
Athletic Conference
Midwest Conference
Note: because of the way some colleges report tax data, this page includes data from 0 colleges. A full list is below.
Economic diversity and student outcomes at

Grinnell College

Grinnell, Iowa

The median family income of a student from Grinnell is $119,700, and 53% come from the top 20 percent. About 1.5% of students at Grinnell came from a poor family but became a rich adult.

A new study, based on millions of anonymous tax records, shows that some colleges are even more economically segregated than previously understood, while others are associated with income mobility.

Below, estimates of how Grinnell compares with its peer schools in economic diversity and student outcomes.

AccessWhat kind of students attend Grinnell

Among the lowest About typical Among the highest
In the Midwest Conf. In Iowa Among Highly selective private colleges
Median family income $119,700
Average income percentile 74th
Share of students from top 0.1% <1%
   ...from top 1% 5.6%
   ...from top 5% 24%
   ...from top 10% 35%
   ...from top 20% 53%
   ...from bottom 20% 6.3%

OutcomesHow Grinnell students fare later in life

Among the lowest About typical Among the highest
In the Midwest Conf. In Iowa Among Highly selective private colleges
Median individual income at age 34 $47,300
   ...for men $51,900
   ...for women $43,400
Average income percentile 66th
Share who end up in the top 1% 3.4%
   ...in the top 5% 12%
   ...in the top 10% 21%
   ...in the top 20% 39%
   ...in the bottom 20% 9%
Avg. income percentile of a poor student 68th
   ...of a rich student 66th
Pct. married in 2014 52%

MobilityShare of students at Grinnell who ...

Among the lowest About typical Among the highest
In the Midwest Conf. In Iowa Among Highly selective private colleges
Moved up two or more income quintiles 10%
Moved from the bottom to top income quintile 1.5%

College by collegeComparing Grinnell with its peers

Compare to:

Median parent income

For students born in 1991, approximately the class of 2013, in 2015 dollars.

54th out of 71 Highly selective private colleges
No data available for Grinnell.
Compare to:

Median student income at age 34

Incomes continue to grow, but the relative ranks remain roughly stable after this age.

50th out of 71 Highly selective private colleges
No data available for Grinnell.

Family income vs. student income at age 34

The chart below shows how Grinnell and its peer schools are comparing with the remaining schools analyzed in the study. You can click on any point in the chart to navigate to that school.

How access at Grinnell has changed

Peer schools are shown in yellow

Students from...
Bottom 60%
Top 20%
Top 10%
Top 1%
The estimates presented here are based on millions of anonymous tax filings and tuition records. These statistics cover only schools that participate in Title IV federal funding, which excludes the military academies and certain other colleges.
Measures of access are for students born in 1991, roughly the class of 2013; measures of outcomes and mobility are for students born between 1980 and 1982, who are around age 35, when relative income ranks stabilizes.
Class size figures represent the number of students in the study who were born in 1991: approximately the class of 2013 or today's 25-year-olds. This measure does not include international students or students who could not be linked to their parents' tax returns.
The athletic conferences listed here are meant to be a helpful way to compare colleges with their peers. They are incomplete for some conferences. Only one conference is displayed for each college.
Source: “Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility”, by Raj Chetty, John Friedman, Emmanuel Saez, Nicholas Turner and Danny Yagan, The Equality of Opportunity Project

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