Little is known about the the socioeconomic background of students attending community and technical colleges. This has created a void in understanding student access and success. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has thus enlisted help from the Columbia University Community College Research Center (CCRC) to construct an alternative Socioeconomic (SES) proxy for individual students. This research paper describes the socioeconomic quintiles for the Washington State population and community and technical college students. Specifically it answers the following five questions: (1) What are the SES quintiles for Washington State households in 1990 and 2000? What are the characteristics of the state population in these quintiles in each census year? (2) What are the participation rates for students by SES quintiles and how do these rates vary or stay the same for various student groups that include: younger and older students; students of color; students by their purpose of attending; students by their family status; and students in Running Start and online students? (3) What are the SES quintiles for students by college? (4) What are the historical trends in growth rates in household income and college tuition, and what percent of student household income is needed for tuition? (5) What conclusions can be drawn regarding access and participation in two-year colleges in Washington State? Key findings, conclusions, and next steps are detailed in this report. [This project also supported by the Washington State College Spark Foundation.]