Edward Lyles raises his arms at the 50th graduation ceremony at Butler County Community College May 16. A new study says the school added $147.5 million to the county economy last year.

Butler County Community College generated more than inspired minds last year.

The college created $147.5 million in added income to Butler County's economy last year, according to Emsi, an Idaho research company that studied the school's economic impact.

That $147.5 million in added income represents 1.4 percent of Butler County's gross regional product.

Stan Kosciuszko, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, says the study confirms what he's seen firsthand about BC3's impact on the region's businesses.

“When you look at the number of employees, that is a buying pool, a taxpayer pool,” Kosciuszko said. “You also look at that as a service industry. They purchase gasoline. They eat. They buy clothing. A lot of them live in Butler County. Just the employees' economic impact on Butler County is huge. If you just take that face value, without looking any further, that is a huge impact.”

The study also found that:

Pennsylvania taxpayers experienced a return of $4.90 on every public dollar they invested in educating BC3 students.

75 percent of BC3's 568 full- and part-time employees live in Butler County.

In the 2016-17 fiscal year, BC3's payroll totaled $20 million.

The off-campus expenditures of out-of-county students who relocated to Butler County supported jobs and created new income in the county's economy, the Emsi survey found.

“Students who have relocated to Butler County to attend BC3 are paying rent, buying gasoline, purchasing goods and services and possibly working in Butler County,” said Nick Neupauer, BC3 president. “And, if they are working in Butler County, they are contributing to the economy as employees and paying taxes, and that also creates a huge ripple effect.”

Kosciuszko said the numbers garnered by the analysis may not show the whole story, either.

“I would think it is probably even higher than that. I think that is kind of conservative. If you really look at the ripple effect, it would be larger. It is Butler County Community College,” Kosciuszko said.

While many BC3 alumni come back and reinvigorate the work force, Kosciuszko said, they also support many volunteer efforts.

“I look at how much time and expertise the employees volunteer to nonprofits in Butler County,” he said. “Their employees donate a lot of time and expertise and talents to a variety of organizations.”

Kosciuszko said the analysis could help open the eyes of county residents to the potential of the college for being a solid force in their economy.

“I think it's very important for people to look at the value that businesses contribute to our economy,” Kosciuszko said.