STEM Talent: Education, Training, and Workforce | NCSES | NSF
Talent is critical to the U.S. science and engineering enterprise and competitiveness. The U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce represented about a quarter of the total domestic workforce in 2023, with distinct education, employment, and wage patterns. Recent assessments reveal incomplete recovery for U.S. K–12 students from pandemic-related STEM learning losses. STEM degree production grew at U.S. higher education institutions at all levels between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, the United States was the leading destination for international students, despite a small decline in overall share since 2013.
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Introduction
U.S. STEM Workforce and Education Overview
Workforce Scale and Composition (2023)
- Total Size: 36 million STEM workers, representing 25% of the total U.S. economy.
- Educational Attainment: 90% of the STEM workforce holds a bachelor’s or advanced degree (42% S&E workers, 48% S&E-related). Middle-skill occupations account for the remaining 10%.
- Foreign-Born Talent: 22% of the STEM workforce is foreign-born. Mexico (1.3 million) and India (1.0 million) are the leading countries of origin.
- Geography: STEM employment is evenly split between rural and urban areas (25% each), though urban areas have higher concentrations of S&E workers, while rural areas have higher concentrations of middle-skill STEM workers.
Economic Impact and Growth
- Growth Trends: STEM employment grew by 26% from 2013–2023, significantly outpacing the 9% growth in non-STEM sectors. It is projected to grow another 6% between 2024 and 2034.
- Earnings: STEM workers earn a median of $76,000 annually, compared to $55,000 for non-STEM workers. S&E workers command the highest median salary at $100,000.
K–12 STEM Education
- Performance: Post-pandemic mathematics recovery is uneven; lower-performing students have shown no recovery since 2022.
- Teacher Impact: Students taught by teachers with 6+ years of experience and traditional certifications consistently outperform those taught by less-experienced or alternatively certified teachers.
- International Standing: In 2023, U.S. eighth graders ranked in the middle for science and the bottom third for mathematics among 18 advanced economies.
- Predictive Success: High school mathematics achievement is a strong indicator of college success; 71% of students in the top quintile of math performance complete a STEM degree, versus 34% in the lowest quintile.
Higher Education and Pipeline
- Degree Production: S&E degree completions have outpaced the growth of the college-age population since 2013.
- Field Growth: Computer and information sciences saw massive growth in degree awards between 2013 and 2023 (bachelor’s degrees doubled; master’s degrees more than tripled).
- International Students: While the U.S. remains the top destination for international students, enrollment of internationally mobile students dropped 3% between 2017 and 2023, even as other nations saw increases.
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