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News Release 13-146

Recent NSF study reveals regional concentration of scientists and engineers in the United States

Scientists in a lab

California, Texas and New York account for more than a fourth of U.S. scientists and engineers.


August 19, 2013

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

According to a recently published report by the National Science Foundation, science and engineering (S&E) employment in the United States is geographically concentrated in a small number of states. Further, several major metropolitan areas within these states account for the highest S&E employment.

California, Texas, and New York together accounted for more than one-fourth of all S&E employment. The states of Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts and Ohio accounted for almost another one-fourth. Areas surrounding the cities of Santa Clara, Los Angeles and San Diego, all in California, and the areas around New York City and Houston together accounted for one in 10 S&E employees nationwide.

S&E expertise is an integral part of a region's capacity to innovate because of the scientists' and engineers' high skill levels, creative ideas and contributions to scientific knowledge and to research and development.

For more information on this report, please contact Beethika Khan.

Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics for more reports and other products.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Deborah Wing, NSF, (703) 292-5344, email: dwing@nsf.gov

Program Contacts
Beethika Khan, NSF, (703) 292-4669, email: bkhan@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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