{"id":3657,"date":"2022-10-05T10:48:32","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T15:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/us.rs-online.com\/expert\/?p=3657"},"modified":"2022-10-05T10:48:32","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T15:48:32","slug":"stem-labor-market-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/us.rs-online.com\/expert\/stem-labor-market-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"STEM Labor Market Statistics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

STEM careers get a lot of hype for being \u201cgood jobs,\u201d and for good reason. Learn about the evolving definition of STEM occupations and about statistics ranging from salaries and U.S. jobs growth to minority representation, related salary differences and intersectionality in STEM.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

STEM careers \u2014 or careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines \u2014 tend to get a lot of hype for being \u201cgood jobs,\u201d which Georgetown University\u2019s Center on Education and the Workforce categorizes as jobs in the upper third of median wages for a given occupation.1<\/sup><\/a> Good jobs also tend to be full-time and are twice as likely to provide health insurance and retirement plans than middle-wage jobs, and STEM, healthcare and managerial roles have accounted for a majority of good jobs growth over the last decade or so.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) defines the STEM field as a collection of 100 occupations<\/a> extending from jobs in the four employment categories represented by the acronym to life and physical science, managerial and postsecondary teaching jobs related to these categories and sales jobs that require postsecondary-level scientific or technical knowledge.2<\/a><\/sup> These STEM jobs accounted for 10.2 million, or 6.65%, of the 153.5 million jobs in the U.S. in 2020 and had a median annual salary of $95,420 in 2021 compared to $40,120 for non-STEM occupations.3<\/a><\/sup> And in keeping with recent tradition, the USBLS projects that the number of STEM jobs will grow 10.5%, to 11.28 million or 6.82% of the projected 165.41 million U.S. jobs, by 2030 while non-STEM jobs are expected to grow 7.5%.3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

USBLS Occupation Category<\/th>2020 Employment<\/th>2020 Percent of U.S. Workforce<\/th>Projected 2030 Employment<\/th>Total Employment
Change 2020\u20132030<\/th>		Percent Employment
Change 2020\u20132030<\/th>		2021 Median Annual Wage<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Total Jobs<\/strong><\/td>153,533,800<\/td>100.00%<\/td>165,413,700<\/td>11,879,900<\/td>7.7%<\/td>$45,760<\/td><\/tr>
STEM Jobs<\/strong><\/td>10,204,200<\/td>6.65%<\/td>11,278,700<\/td>1,074,500<\/td>10.5%<\/td>$95,420<\/td><\/tr>
Non-STEM Jobs<\/strong><\/td>143,329,500<\/td>93.35%<\/td>154,135,000<\/td>10,805,500<\/td>7.5%<\/td>$40,120<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2020 and projected 2030 employment in STEM jobs.3<\/a><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The National Science Foundation\u2019s (NSF\u2019s) definition of STEM occupations is more inclusive \u2014 and one could argue more representative and realistic \u2014 as it accounts for the traditionally recognized STEM jobs that require a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher as well as the rapidly expanding range of skilled technical workforce (STW) jobs that aren\u2019t typically categorized as STEM employment categories but require STEM skills.4<\/a><\/sup> These STW jobs include construction, production, installation, maintenance and repair roles and are vital to deploying, adapting and maintaining the ever-expanding slate of advanced technologies and processes that are integral to America\u2019s science and engineering (S&E) enterprise.4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This expanded definition accounts for all of the STEM workers contributing to improving U.S. living standards, economic growth and global competitiveness through innovation, research and development and \u201cdoubles the number of workers classified as part of the STEM workforce by including 16 million workers with at least a bachelor\u2019s degree and 20 million without a bachelor\u2019s degree.\u201d4<\/a><\/sup> And when employed by the NSF\u2019s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), the results are both astounding and encouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSF Occupation Category<\/strong><\/th>2019<\/strong>
Employment<\/strong><\/th>		2019 Percent of U.S. Workforce<\/strong><\/th>2019 Median Earnings<\/strong><\/th>2019 NSF U.S. Workforce Percentages Applied to 2020 USBLS Total Employment (Extrapolated Data)<\/strong><\/th>2019 NSF U.S. Workforce Percentages Applied to USBLS Projected 2030 Employment (Extrapolated Data)<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Total Jobs<\/strong><\/td>158,600,0005<\/a><\/sup><\/td>100.00%<\/td>—-<\/td>153,533,8003<\/a><\/sup><\/td>165,413,7003<\/a><\/sup><\/td><\/tr>
STEM Jobs<\/strong><\/td>36,000,0004<\/a><\/sup><\/td>22.70%<\/td>$55,0004<\/a><\/sup><\/td>34,852,1734<\/sup><\/td>37,548,9104<\/sup><\/td><\/tr>
Non-STEM Jobs<\/strong><\/td>122,600,0004<\/sup>\u00a0<\/td>77.30%<\/td>$33,0004<\/a><\/sup><\/td>118,681,6274<\/sup><\/td>127,864,7904<\/sup><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
National Science Foundation (NSF) data for 2019 employment in STEM jobs, plus extrapolated data derived by applying the 2019 NSF U.S. workforce percentages achieved through a broader, more inclusive definition of STEM occupations to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u2019 (USBLS) 2020 total employment total and 2030 projected employment total for a more direct, albeit estimated, comparison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are some key takeaways from the NCSES\u2019 August 2021 report, \u201cThe STEM Labor Force of Today: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers<\/a>,\u201d which is primarily based on data from 2019. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n