Chapter 8. State Indicators
Higher Education
Science and engineering graduate students per 1,000 individuals 25–34 years old
Findings
- The number of S&E graduate students in the United States grew from approximately 411,000 in 2000 to 523,000 in 2009, a 27% increase.
- Among the 50 states, the value of this indicator ranged from 5.1 to 29.4.
- Growth in the number of S&E graduate students was most significant in California during this period. Other states with sizeable increases included Texas, New York, Minnesota, and Florida.
Description
Graduate students in S&E fields may become the technical leaders of the future. This indicator is a relative measure of a state's population with graduate training in S&E and is defined as the ratio of S&E graduate students to a state's population ages 25–34.
Graduate students are counted on the basis of their university enrollment and include state residents, residents of other states, and noncitizens. The cohort includes all state residents ages 25–34 and was chosen to approximate the age of most graduate students.
Data on S&E graduate students are counts obtained from all academic institutions in the United States that offer doctoral or master's degree programs in any S&E field, including the physical, life, earth, ocean, atmospheric, computer, and social sciences; mathematics; engineering; and psychology. Graduate students enrolled in schools of nursing, public health, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and other health-related disciplines are not included.
Estimates of the population ages 25–34 years old are provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Small differences in the value of the indicator between states or across years generally are not meaningful.
Data Table
| Table 8-21 | |||||||||||
| Science and engineering graduate students per 1,000 individuals 25–34 years old, by state: 2000, 2005, and 2009 | |||||||||||
| S&E graduate students | Population 25–34 years old | S&E graduate students/1,000 individuals 25–34 years old | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 | ||
| United States | 410,505 | 474,550 | 522,511 | 39,825,518 | 39,712,639 | 41,566,322 | 10.3 | 11.9 | 12.6 | ||
| Alabama | 5,161 | 6,232 | 6,562 | 600,351 | 593,380 | 619,371 | 8.6 | 10.5 | 10.6 | ||
| Alaska | 597 | 806 | 1,064 | 89,013 | 92,286 | 106,145 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 10.0 | ||
| Arizona | 6,477 | 6,976 | 8,161 | 744,892 | 864,337 | 956,944 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.5 | ||
| Arkansas | 1,958 | 2,447 | 2,799 | 351,690 | 368,207 | 389,042 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 7.2 | ||
| California | 53,437 | 63,837 | 66,695 | 5,233,641 | 5,223,518 | 5,385,409 | 10.2 | 12.2 | 12.4 | ||
| Colorado | 8,688 | 8,997 | 11,000 | 665,276 | 676,923 | 734,263 | 13.1 | 13.3 | 15.0 | ||
| Connecticut | 6,266 | 6,973 | 8,660 | 450,434 | 405,974 | 411,196 | 13.9 | 17.2 | 21.1 | ||
| Delaware | 1,414 | 1,760 | 1,907 | 108,699 | 110,244 | 115,495 | 13.0 | 16.0 | 16.5 | ||
| District of Columbia | 7,126 | 8,662 | 9,700 | 101,272 | 102,601 | 112,704 | 70.4 | 84.4 | 86.1 | ||
| Florida | 15,463 | 19,126 | 22,486 | 2,084,041 | 2,229,778 | 2,357,049 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 9.5 | ||
| Georgia | 8,809 | 10,675 | 11,151 | 1,300,057 | 1,329,899 | 1,392,988 | 6.8 | 8.0 | 8.0 | ||
| Hawaii | 1,412 | 1,892 | 2,013 | 170,502 | 176,998 | 191,254 | 8.3 | 10.7 | 10.5 | ||
| Idaho | 1,309 | 2,013 | 1,933 | 169,287 | 186,405 | 209,877 | 7.7 | 10.8 | 9.2 | ||
| Illinois | 22,964 | 23,387 | 25,617 | 1,806,793 | 1,745,946 | 1,783,102 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 14.4 | ||
| Indiana | 7,931 | 9,648 | 10,489 | 828,362 | 817,981 | 838,888 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 12.5 | ||
| Iowa | 4,646 | 5,020 | 5,463 | 361,434 | 345,064 | 367,097 | 12.9 | 14.5 | 14.9 | ||
| Kansas | 5,740 | 5,804 | 5,574 | 347,757 | 337,097 | 368,979 | 16.5 | 17.2 | 15.1 | ||
| Kentucky | 3,390 | 4,625 | 4,076 | 566,024 | 562,610 | 579,199 | 6.0 | 8.2 | 7.0 | ||
| Louisiana | 5,496 | 4,809 | 5,824 | 597,966 | 593,933 | 624,512 | 9.2 | 8.1 | 9.3 | ||
| Maine | 588 | 684 | 760 | 156,941 | 148,575 | 149,643 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 5.1 | ||
| Maryland | 8,995 | 11,228 | 12,453 | 746,862 | 729,811 | 756,962 | 12.0 | 15.4 | 16.5 | ||
| Massachusetts | 19,536 | 22,638 | 25,120 | 924,695 | 843,944 | 855,592 | 21.1 | 26.8 | 29.4 | ||
| Michigan | 15,080 | 15,454 | 16,072 | 1,357,578 | 1,261,427 | 1,202,738 | 11.1 | 12.3 | 13.4 | ||
| Minnesota | 6,749 | 10,685 | 14,484 | 671,894 | 653,869 | 699,621 | 10.0 | 16.3 | 20.7 | ||
| Mississippi | 2,628 | 3,175 | 3,246 | 380,294 | 379,067 | 393,163 | 6.9 | 8.4 | 8.3 | ||
| Missouri | 5,947 | 7,278 | 8,369 | 736,623 | 739,026 | 785,730 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 10.7 | ||
| Montana | 1,199 | 1,454 | 1,468 | 102,764 | 104,944 | 120,074 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 12.2 | ||
| Nebraska | 2,452 | 2,811 | 3,272 | 222,460 | 216,423 | 232,221 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 14.1 | ||
| Nevada | 1,423 | 1,992 | 2,137 | 308,307 | 357,001 | 394,105 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 5.4 | ||
| New Hampshire | 1,340 | 1,448 | 1,544 | 159,784 | 149,554 | 149,648 | 8.4 | 9.7 | 10.3 | ||
| New Jersey | 11,135 | 12,267 | 13,580 | 1,186,931 | 1,112,730 | 1,110,420 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 12.2 | ||
| New Mexico | 3,109 | 3,762 | 3,792 | 233,360 | 250,621 | 277,897 | 13.3 | 15.0 | 13.6 | ||
| New York | 37,782 | 42,399 | 46,786 | 2,749,299 | 2,602,535 | 2,649,054 | 13.7 | 16.3 | 17.7 | ||
| North Carolina | 10,034 | 12,167 | 14,457 | 1,212,550 | 1,187,546 | 1,235,447 | 8.3 | 10.2 | 11.7 | ||
| North Dakota | 1,053 | 1,512 | 1,811 | 76,253 | 71,313 | 81,735 | 13.8 | 21.2 | 22.2 | ||
| Ohio | 16,092 | 19,054 | 19,580 | 1,513,069 | 1,470,729 | 1,478,233 | 10.6 | 13.0 | 13.2 | ||
| Oklahoma | 3,478 | 4,274 | 5,095 | 449,552 | 456,812 | 504,985 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 10.1 | ||
| Oregon | 3,815 | 4,387 | 4,737 | 469,904 | 483,361 | 525,411 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 9.0 | ||
| Pennsylvania | 18,300 | 20,209 | 21,542 | 1,552,979 | 1,489,438 | 1,538,441 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 14.0 | ||
| Rhode Island | 1,709 | 1,971 | 2,127 | 140,153 | 134,692 | 131,818 | 12.2 | 14.6 | 16.1 | ||
| South Carolina | 3,185 | 3,339 | 3,499 | 559,245 | 565,038 | 598,990 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.8 | ||
| South Dakota | 866 | 930 | 1,452 | 90,667 | 91,888 | 102,810 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 14.1 | ||
| Tennessee | 5,366 | 6,585 | 6,431 | 813,532 | 820,169 | 848,633 | 6.6 | 8.0 | 7.6 | ||
| Texas | 27,855 | 32,788 | 37,774 | 3,164,710 | 3,339,356 | 3,647,847 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 10.4 | ||
| Utah | 3,821 | 4,884 | 4,929 | 327,177 | 381,597 | 441,598 | 11.7 | 12.8 | 11.2 | ||
| Vermont | 627 | 644 | 655 | 74,260 | 67,274 | 69,085 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 9.5 | ||
| Virginia | 11,552 | 12,566 | 14,624 | 1,035,588 | 1,027,412 | 1,084,710 | 11.2 | 12.2 | 13.5 | ||
| Washington | 5,905 | 6,570 | 7,534 | 839,575 | 851,102 | 948,773 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.9 | ||
| West Virginia | 2,024 | 2,247 | 2,273 | 227,512 | 224,330 | 225,178 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 10.1 | ||
| Wisconsin | 7,822 | 8,572 | 8,817 | 704,005 | 675,890 | 707,393 | 11.1 | 12.7 | 12.5 | ||
| Wyoming | 754 | 887 | 917 | 59,504 | 61,984 | 74,853 | 12.7 | 14.3 | 12.3 | ||
| Puerto Rico | 2,944 | 3,661 | 3,068 | 534,332 | 550,170 | 556,543 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 5.5 | ||
NOTE: S&E graduate students include students pursuing graduate degrees in physical, computer, agricultural, biological, earth, atmospheric, ocean, and social sciences; psychology; mathematics; and engineering. SOURCES: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science Engineering; Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census and Population Estimates Program (various years). Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 |
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State Data Tool
The state data tool allows interactive exploration of the 58 indicators in this chapter. Users have the ability to choose and explore a single indicator in-depth, compare multiple indicators for preselected groups, customize their own graphics, or download data tables. Click the button below to get started.
