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Chapter 8. State Indicators

Workforce

Employed Science and Engineering Doctorate Holders as a Percentage of the Workforce



Findings

  • The number of employed S&E doctorate holders in the United States rose from almost 573,000 in 2001 to about 688,000 in 2010, an increase of 20%.
  • Overall, the value of this indicator rose from 0.42% in 2001 to 0.49% in 2010 because the number of employed S&E doctorate holders nationwide increased more rapidly than the size of the workforce.
  • In 2010, the values for this indicator in individual states ranged from 0.23% to 1.16% of a state’s workforce.
  • States in the top quartile tended to be homes to major research laboratories, research universities, or research-intensive industries.


Description

This indicator represents a state’s ability to attract and retain highly trained scientists and engineers. These individuals often conduct R&D, manage R&D activities, or are otherwise engaged in knowledge-intensive activities. A high value for this indicator in a state suggests employment opportunities for individuals with highly advanced training in S&E fields.

Data on employed S&E doctorate holders include those with doctoral degrees in computer and mathematical sciences; the biological, agricultural, or environmental life sciences; physical sciences; social sciences; psychology; engineering; and health fields. S&E doctorate data exclude individuals with doctorates from foreign institutions and those older than the age of 75. S&E doctorate holders are assigned to a state based on where they work.

Employed workforce data are developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which assigns workers to a state based on where they live. Workforce data represent annual estimates of the employed civilian labor force; estimates are not seasonally adjusted.

Small differences in the values of the indicator between states or across time are generally not meaningful.


Data Table

Table 8-35
Employed science and engineering doctorate holders as a percentage of the workforce, by state: 2001, 2006, and 2010
 
Employed S&E doctorate holders Employed workforce S&E doctorate
holders/all workers (%)
State 2001 2006 2010 2001 2006 2010 2001 2006 2010
 
United States 572,800 618,400 688,300 137,107,779 143,729,350 139,395,958 0.42 0.43 0.49
Alabama 5,300 5,900 6,600 2,034,909 2,098,462 1,969,557 0.26 0.28 0.34
Alaska 1,200 1,100 1,400 301,694 326,109 333,538 0.40 0.34 0.42
Arizona 7,100 8,400 9,000 2,453,453 2,836,638 2,780,328 0.29 0.30 0.32
Arkansas 2,600 2,800 2,900 1,194,024 1,286,887 1,242,088 0.22 0.22 0.23
California 80,900 87,400 102,300 16,220,033 16,821,266 16,063,550 0.50 0.52 0.64
Colorado 11,800 13,100 14,800 2,303,494 2,541,828 2,475,831 0.51 0.52 0.60
Connecticut 9,500 10,300 11,300 1,700,046 1,745,993 1,735,059 0.56 0.59 0.65
Delaware 3,500 3,100 3,000 404,135 424,618 402,612 0.87 0.73 0.75
District of Columbia 14,200 13,300 14,900 286,649 303,791 310,842 4.95 4.38 4.79
Florida 15,700 17,600 20,600 7,624,718 8,584,095 8,141,447 0.21 0.21 0.25
Georgia 12,000 13,000 15,200 4,112,868 4,500,150 4,241,718 0.29 0.29 0.36
Hawaii 2,600 2,800 3,000 589,216 617,807 603,894 0.44 0.45 0.50
Idaho 2,200 2,800 2,800 644,816 718,077 694,976 0.34 0.39 0.40
Illinois 22,100 24,100 25,300 6,113,536 6,225,095 5,925,554 0.36 0.39 0.43
Indiana 9,600 9,900 10,900 3,020,985 3,080,047 2,843,268 0.32 0.32 0.38
Iowa 4,400 4,900 5,600 1,568,638 1,595,136 1,566,307 0.28 0.31 0.36
Kansas 4,000 4,300 4,000 1,347,715 1,403,938 1,398,046 0.30 0.31 0.29
Kentucky 4,600 5,000 5,100 1,852,056 1,904,467 1,854,279 0.25 0.26 0.28
Louisiana 5,300 5,500 5,300 1,922,110 1,900,240 1,920,732 0.28 0.29 0.28
Maine 2,000 2,400 2,400 650,699 665,856 643,499 0.31 0.36 0.37
Maryland 22,700 26,200 29,800 2,712,268 2,892,733 2,831,069 0.84 0.91 1.05
Massachusetts 29,100 32,400 36,900 3,275,343 3,255,504 3,187,622 0.89 1.00 1.16
Michigan 17,400 17,900 18,000 4,876,338 4,722,716 4,147,952 0.36 0.38 0.43
Minnesota 11,400 11,800 13,700 2,755,808 2,774,524 2,744,470 0.41 0.43 0.50
Mississippi 3,200 3,300 3,300 1,229,884 1,199,871 1,177,276 0.26 0.28 0.28
Missouri 9,300 9,300 10,700 2,867,853 2,889,461 2,755,946 0.32 0.32 0.39
Montana 1,400 2,000 2,400 447,827 476,412 462,278 0.31 0.42 0.52
Nebraska 2,900 3,000 3,100 925,783 943,176 944,562 0.31 0.32 0.33
Nevada 2,000 2,600 3,000 1,042,182 1,222,277 1,199,517 0.19 0.21 0.25
New Hampshire 2,500 2,500 3,000 680,706 708,748 693,679 0.37 0.35 0.43
New Jersey 22,700 20,800 23,000 4,117,543 4,257,899 4,111,155 0.55 0.49 0.56
New Mexico 7,700 8,300 8,000 821,003 886,708 861,503 0.94 0.94 0.93
New York 44,000 45,900 50,900 8,743,924 9,062,464 8,760,743 0.50 0.51 0.58
North Carolina 16,800 18,900 20,600 3,929,977 4,261,325 4,136,257 0.43 0.44 0.50
North Dakota 1,100 1,400 1,500 336,228 349,368 360,921 0.33 0.40 0.42
Ohio 20,100 20,500 21,700 5,566,735 5,602,764 5,271,394 0.36 0.37 0.41
Oklahoma 4,400 4,400 4,900 1,614,627 1,650,070 1,657,099 0.27 0.27 0.30
Oregon 7,000 8,300 9,100 1,711,041 1,792,039 1,761,867 0.41 0.46 0.52
Pennsylvania 26,100 29,100 31,300 5,874,153 6,021,084 5,854,537 0.44 0.48 0.53
Rhode Island 2,600 3,000 3,000 520,677 543,973 505,131 0.50 0.55 0.59
South Carolina 5,100 5,900 6,400 1,834,871 1,970,912 1,917,747 0.28 0.30 0.33
South Dakota 1,000 1,000 1,300 400,352 421,799 420,171 0.25 0.24 0.31
Tennessee 9,000 10,000 11,500 2,728,523 2,852,509 2,777,213 0.33 0.35 0.41
Texas 32,500 36,000 42,400 9,991,920 10,757,510 11,273,239 0.33 0.33 0.38
Utah 4,800 5,500 5,900 1,108,547 1,285,389 1,252,466 0.43 0.43 0.47
Vermont 1,800 1,700 1,800 330,099 343,149 337,049 0.55 0.50 0.53
Virginia 17,500 19,800 22,000 3,537,719 3,862,508 3,840,619 0.49 0.51 0.57
Washington 14,800 16,900 18,900 2,863,705 3,155,384 3,166,880 0.52 0.54 0.60
West Virginia 1,900 2,000 2,200 758,904 777,210 737,115 0.25 0.26 0.30
Wisconsin 8,700 9,500 10,600 2,897,937 2,932,482 2,820,453 0.30 0.32 0.38
Wyoming 800 700 800 259,508 276,882 280,903 0.31 0.25 0.28
 
Puerto Rico 1,400 1,700 2,300 1,128,704 1,270,693 1,061,519 0.12 0.13 0.22
 

NOTE: Employed S&E doctorate holders are classified by employment lcoation; employed workers are classified by residence.

SOURCES: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, (various years); Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (various years).

Science and Engineering Indicators 2014


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.

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