U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Skip Header
Partners Researchers Educators Survey Respondents
News NAICS Codes Jobs About Us Contact Us Help
Topics
Data & Maps
Surveys & Programs
Resource Library
Search data, events, resources, and more
Topics
Browse our topics and subtopics to find information and data.
View All Topics and Subtopics Index A to Z
Age and Sex Business and Economy Education Emergency Management / Disasters Employment Families and Living Arrangements Geography Health Hispanic Origin Housing
Income and Poverty International Trade Migration/Geographic Mobility Population Population Estimates Public Sector Race Redistricting Research Voting and Registration
Data & Maps
Access demographic, economic and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Explore census data with visualizations and view tutorials.
Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources
Census Academy Combining Data Data Equity Tools Data Tools and Apps Developers Experimental Data Products
Interactive Maps Mapping Files Related Sites Software Tables Training and Workshops Visualizations
Surveys & Programs
Our surveys provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about the nation. This data is critical for government programs, policies, and decision-making.
Survey Help View all Surveys & Programs
2020 Census 2030 Census American Community Survey (ACS) American Housing Survey (AHS) Annual Business Survey (ABS) Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) Census of Governments County Business Patterns (CBP) Current Population Survey (CPS)
Economic Census International Programs Metro and Micro Areas Population Estimates Population Projections Small Area Income and Poverty Statistics of U.S. Businesses Survey of Business Owners Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
Resource Library
Browse our collection of stories and more.
View all library resources Glossary
America Counts: Stories Audio Blogs By the Numbers Facts for Features Fact Sheets Infographics and Visualizations
Photos Publications Spotlights Stats for Stories Training (Census Academy) Videos Working Papers
Partners Researchers Educators Survey Respondents
News NAICS Codes Jobs About Us Contact Us Help
View All Topics and Subtopics Index A to Z
Age and Sex Business and Economy Education Emergency Management / Disasters Employment Families and Living Arrangements Geography Health Hispanic Origin Housing Income and Poverty International Trade Migration/Geographic Mobility Population Population Estimates Public Sector Race Redistricting Research Voting and Registration
Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources
Census Academy Combining Data Data Equity Tools Data Tools and Apps Developers Experimental Data Products Interactive Maps Mapping Files Related Sites Software Tables Training and Workshops Visualizations
Survey Help View all Surveys & Programs
2020 Census 2030 Census American Community Survey (ACS) American Housing Survey (AHS) Annual Business Survey (ABS) Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) Census of Governments County Business Patterns (CBP) Current Population Survey (CPS) Economic Census International Programs Metro and Micro Areas Population Estimates Population Projections Small Area Income and Poverty Statistics of U.S. Businesses Survey of Business Owners Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
View all library resources Glossary
America Counts: Stories Audio Blogs By the Numbers Facts for Features Fact Sheets Infographics and Visualizations Photos Publications Spotlights Stats for Stories Training (Census Academy) Videos Working Papers

National STEM Day: November 8, 2022

Skip Navigation
Within Newsroom

National STEM Day: November 8, 2022

Press Release Number CB22-SFS.153

From Census.gov > America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers > Does Majoring in STEM Lead to a STEM Job After Graduation? (June 02, 2021):

STEM Majors Earned More Than Other STEM Workers

Majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) does not guarantee a job in a STEM occupation but it typically means a bump in pay.

Among the 50 million employed college graduates ages 25 to 64 in 2019, 37% reported a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering but only 14% worked in a STEM occupation, according to the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

This translates into less than a third (28%) of STEM-educated workers actually working in a STEM job.

Photo: Scientist
STEM workers who majored in a STEM field in college typically made higher salaries than those who did not: on average, $101,100 vs. $87,600.

Key Stats

Source: 2021 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-year estimates. 

aff Table B24010, Sex by Occupation for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over
aff Table B24124, Detailed Occupation for the Full-Time, Year-Round Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over
aff Table S1502: Field of Bachelor's Degree for First Major
xls Table 1. STEM and STEM-Related Occupations by Sex and Median Earnings: ACS 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Note: The table above is condensed to hide all margin of error columns and all rows under each occupational category. Click on the image for the full table.

More Stats

From Business and Economy / Surveys and Programs the following tables have data (newest to oldest) for sector NAICS 541: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services:

aff Table BDSEAGE, Business Dynamics Statistics: Establishment Age: 1978-2020
aff Table CB2000CBP, All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2020
aff Table AB1900CSA01, Annual Business Survey: Statistics for Employer Firms by Industry, Sex, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S., States, and Metro Areas: 2019
aff Table NS1900NONEMP, All Sectors: Nonemployer Statistics by Legal Form of Organization and Receipts Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2019
aff Table EC1700BASIC, All Sectors: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2017
aff Table IA1700BASIC01, Island Areas: Geographic Area Series: Summary Statistics for American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands: 2017

Source: Surveys & Program > Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)

web Experimental Data Product: Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO)

Note: Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes is a new set of statistics on the earnings outcomes and employment flows of graduates of select post-secondary institutions in the United States. These statistics are generated by matching university transcript data with a national database of jobs.

From the Library:

web America Counts Story: Does Majoring in STEM Lead to a STEM Job After Graduation? (June 2, 2021)
web Census Interactive Gallery: From College to Jobs: Pathways in STEM (May 28, 2021)
web America Counts Story: Women Making Gains in STEM Occupations but Still Underrepresented (January 26, 2021)
web Working Paper: STEM Workers in the Manufacturing Sector (October 2019)
web Working Paper: The Intersectionality of the STEM Workforce (February 2019)

From Newsroom > Stats for Stories (SFS):

web Earth Science Week: October 9-15, 2022
web National Manufacturing Week & Day: October 3-7 & 7, 2022
web National Energy Awareness Month: October 2022
web National Aviation Day: August 19, 2022
web Earth Day: April 22, 2022
web Pi Day: March 14, 2022
web National Inventors’ Day: February 11, 2022
web National Weatherperson's Day: February 5, 2022

From Our Surveys & Programs > Statistics in School (SIS): Classrooms Powered by Census Data:

web News Article: Graduating and Working in STEM (Revised October 2021)
web Visualization: Men and Women Working in STEM (Revised October 2021)

From Census.gov > History:

web America's First Subway (September 2022)
web The Oil Industry (August 2021)
web Alexander Graham Bell (March 2021)
web The Manhattan Project (July 2020)
web Mount St. Helens (May 2020)
web Apollo 11 and the First Man on the Moon (July 2019)
web Albert Einstein (March 2019)
web The Wright Brothers (December 2018)
web USS Nautilus (August 2018)
web Thomas Edison (November 2017)
web Percival L. Lowell (November 2016)
web Herman Hollerith and Mechanical Tabulation (January 2016)

Outside Links

web Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections, Data, Employment in STEM occupations (see table below)
web Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics, Publications by Topic, STEM (definition)
web Department of Energy: Happy National Stem Day
web Forbes: Where Have All The Girl Scientists Gone? On Ada Lovelace Day, Let’s Amplify Female Voices In STEM (October 2020)
web NASA: Ten Ways to Celebrate National STEM Day with NASA
web National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)
web U.S. Department of Education: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, including Computer Science
web WalletHub, Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals (January 2022)

Note: The table above is cropped at the top and bottom. Click on the image for the full table with other formats and footnotes.

Page Last Revised - October 24, 2022
✕
Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image Yes Thumbs Down Image No
✕
NO THANKS
255 characters maximum 255 characters maximum reached
✕
Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top

Back to Header