Skip all navigation and go to page content.

Chapter 8. State Indicators

Workforce

Engineers as a Percentage of All Occupations



Findings

  • In the United States, 1.63 million individuals were employed in engineering occupations in 2012, an increase from the 1.47 million engineers employed in 2003. Between 2003 and 2012, the percentage of the workforce employed in engineering occupations increased from 1.15% to 1.25%.
  • The concentration of engineers in individual states ranged from 0.60% to 2.25% in 2012.
  • States ranking highest on this indicator also ranked high on employment in high-technology establishments as a share of total employment.


Description

Engineers design and operate production processes and create new products and services. This indicator represents the percentage of trained engineers in a state’s workforce. It includes the standard occupational codes for engineering fields: aerospace, agricultural, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer hardware, electrical and electronics, environmental, industrial, marine and naval architectural, materials, mechanical, mining and geological, nuclear, and petroleum.

Data on individuals in engineering occupations and total occupations come from a survey of workplaces that assigns workers to a state based on where they work. Estimates do not include self-employed persons and are developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from data provided by state workforce agencies.

Estimates for states with smaller populations are generally less precise than estimates for states with larger populations.


Data Table

Table 8-36
Engineers as a percentage of all occupations, by state: 2003, 2008, and 2012
 
Engineers All occupations Engineers in all
occupations (%)
State 2003 2008 2012 2003 2008 2012 2003 2008 2012
 
United States 1,465,670 1,626,330 1,629,470 127,420,170 135,185,230 130,287,700 1.15 1.20 1.25
Alabama 21,660 26,430 29,240 1,817,240 1,945,300 1,824,400 1.19 1.36 1.60
Alaska 3,570 4,450 5,540 290,740 307,790 318,700 1.23 1.45 1.74
Arizona 34,500 35,850 32,880 2,275,410 2,637,830 2,414,340 1.52 1.36 1.36
Arkansas 5,610 7,340 6,940 1,118,690 1,176,050 1,155,020 0.50 0.62 0.60
California 212,620 240,860 234,600 14,460,860 15,212,610 14,303,630 1.47 1.58 1.64
Colorado 35,180 41,130 37,050 2,097,650 2,302,340 2,226,160 1.68 1.79 1.66
Connecticut 26,020 23,920 23,480 1,631,610 1,697,810 1,620,620 1.59 1.41 1.45
Delaware 3,440 5,120 4,910 403,650 425,210 405,750 0.85 1.20 1.21
District of Columbia 10,070 8,220 9,840 595,220 635,500 653,760 1.69 1.29 1.51
Florida 58,300 69,040 62,860 7,217,400 7,771,740 7,273,850 0.81 0.89 0.86
Georgia 30,060 36,020 36,360 3,770,430 4,068,270 3,815,530 0.80 0.89 0.95
Hawaii 4,670 5,020 5,800 557,400 612,420 588,210 0.84 0.82 0.99
Idaho 8,530 7,870 8,760 563,200 650,240 598,540 1.51 1.21 1.46
Illinois 58,150 55,840 61,420 5,719,150 5,910,630 5,640,740 1.02 0.94 1.09
Indiana 30,110 30,780 32,230 2,851,210 2,927,620 2,811,920 1.06 1.05 1.15
Iowa NA 10,270 12,100 1,413,220 1,502,600 1,470,740 NA 0.68 0.82
Kansas 19,870 16,930 15,320 1,292,170 1,374,560 1,320,920 1.54 1.23 1.16
Kentucky 13,090 13,880 14,690 1,719,620 1,817,860 1,764,750 0.76 0.76 0.83
Louisiana 15,940 18,270 19,940 1,851,870 1,887,370 1,868,210 0.86 0.97 1.07
Maine 4,880 4,480 5,070 591,750 604,150 581,110 0.82 0.74 0.87
Maryland 33,610 39,390 41,130 2,448,580 2,561,530 2,510,680 1.37 1.54 1.64
Massachusetts 49,430 54,330 52,610 3,130,720 3,234,860 3,202,080 1.58 1.68 1.64
Michigan 92,190 92,190 87,980 4,310,420 4,142,750 3,918,120 2.14 2.23 2.25
Minnesota 30,650 29,490 33,210 2,591,720 2,704,860 2,641,110 1.18 1.09 1.26
Mississippi 7,770 10,160 NA 1,089,350 1,138,210 1,080,420 0.71 0.89 NA
Missouri 20,090 25,950 23,100 2,623,020 2,740,170 2,605,910 0.77 0.95 0.89
Montana 2,680 3,570 4,020 394,820 444,090 432,380 0.68 0.80 0.93
Nebraska 5,890 6,350 6,330 879,550 928,120 914,830 0.67 0.68 0.69
Nevada 6,660 7,870 7,180 1,086,110 1,278,230 1,127,160 0.61 0.62 0.64
New Hampshire 7,490 7,870 8,290 607,570 634,570 612,710 1.23 1.24 1.35
New Jersey 37,190 40,720 39,140 3,878,020 3,986,310 3,793,720 0.96 1.02 1.03
New Mexico 12,710 11,500 12,350 747,050 819,480 773,860 1.70 1.40 1.60
New York 65,600 74,570 61,980 8,236,200 8,633,580 8,542,280 0.80 0.86 0.73
North Carolina 31,020 33,400 36,710 3,702,170 4,063,420 3,878,800 0.84 0.82 0.95
North Dakota 2,130 2,530 3,520 314,620 350,360 403,290 0.68 0.72 0.87
Ohio 61,960 60,120 60,790 5,308,270 5,323,130 5,054,250 1.17 1.13 1.20
Oklahoma 12,830 14,040 17,740 1,416,640 1,557,750 1,529,900 0.91 0.90 1.16
Oregon 17,970 18,740 21,440 1,537,000 1,706,740 1,609,900 1.17 1.10 1.33
Pennsylvania NA 63,340 66,970 5,494,430 5,705,170 5,596,480 NA 1.11 1.20
Rhode Island 5,080 5,150 5,110 477,320 478,420 453,020 1.06 1.08 1.13
South Carolina 19,960 22,750 26,470 1,764,170 1,892,690 1,796,550 1.13 1.20 1.47
South Dakota 1,990 2,440 2,770 364,970 395,960 398,680 0.55 0.62 0.69
Tennessee 20,880 23,130 26,420 2,614,830 2,755,800 2,657,280 0.80 0.84 0.99
Texas 116,160 146,520 152,120 9,248,660 10,391,420 10,579,400 1.26 1.41 1.44
Utah 12,120 14,350 15,940 1,043,500 1,230,320 1,200,850 1.16 1.17 1.33
Vermont 3,600 3,790 3,120 291,400 301,130 294,090 1.24 1.26 1.06
Virginia 46,400 54,280 54,050 3,412,070 3,670,980 3,597,100 1.36 1.48 1.50
Washington 45,460 55,490 NA 2,560,190 2,868,910 2,764,080 1.78 1.93 NA
West Virginia 4,890 5,320 4,990 680,200 717,740 710,540 0.72 0.74 0.70
Wisconsin 29,850 32,010 30,570 2,687,400 2,776,690 2,673,280 1.11 1.15 1.14
Wyoming 2,110 3,260 3,050 240,730 283,980 278,040 0.88 1.15 1.10
 
Puerto Rico 7,200 7,990 7,640 962,000 999,010 942,080 0.75 0.80 0.81
 

NA = not available.

NOTE: United States total includes states with suppressed data.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (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.

PDF Version (9.85 MB)
Chapter 8
Bookmark and Share.
Close