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Chapter 8. State Indicators

Workforce

Life and Physical Scientists as a Percentage of All Occupations



Findings

  • About 648,000 individuals (0.50% of the workforce) were employed as life and physical scientists in the United States in 2012, an increase from the 544,000 life and physical scientists employed in 2003, which represented 0.43% of the workforce.
  • In 2012, individual states had indicator values ranging from 0.27% to 1.37%, which showed major differences in the concentration of jobs in the life and physical sciences.
  • States with the highest concentrations of life and physical scientists in their workforces were widely distributed throughout the United States.


Description

This indicator represents the percentage of life and physical scientists in a state’s workforce. Life scientists are identified from standard occupational codes and include agricultural and food scientists, biological scientists, conservation scientists and foresters, and medical scientists. Physical scientists are identified from standard occupational codes and include astronomers, physicists, atmospheric and space scientists, chemists, materials scientists, environmental scientists, and geoscientists. A high share of life and physical scientists in a state’s workforce could be due to a variety of factors, ranging from a cluster of life sciences companies in the state to the presence of forests or national parks, which require foresters, wildlife specialists, and conservationists to manage the natural assets in these areas.

Data on individuals in life and physical sciences 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 8-37
Life and physical scientists as a percentage of all occupations, by state: 2003, 2008, and 2012
 
Life and physical scientists All occupations Life and physical scientists
in all occupations (%)
State 2003 2008 2012 2003 2008 2012 2003 2008 2012
 
United States 543,540 621,020 647,850 127,420,170 135,185,230 130,287,700 0.43 0.46 0.50
Alabama 5,720 7,570 6,370 1,817,240 1,945,300 1,824,400 0.31 0.39 0.35
Alaska 3,020 3,720 4,380 290,740 307,790 318,700 1.04 1.21 1.37
Arizona 6,760 7,660 9,210 2,275,410 2,637,830 2,414,340 0.30 0.29 0.38
Arkansas 2,950 3,180 4,020 1,118,690 1,176,050 1,155,020 0.26 0.27 0.35
California 65,400 92,000 99,360 14,460,860 15,212,610 14,303,630 0.45 0.60 0.69
Colorado NA 15,040 17,220 2,097,650 2,302,340 2,226,160 NA 0.65 0.77
Connecticut 8,210 7,550 8,640 1,631,610 1,697,810 1,620,620 0.50 0.44 0.53
Delaware 3,250 3,420 5,210 403,650 425,210 405,750 0.81 0.80 1.28
District of Columbia 5,650 5,650 5,240 595,220 635,500 653,760 0.95 0.89 0.80
Florida 19,820 22,280 23,140 7,217,400 7,771,740 7,273,850 0.27 0.29 0.32
Georgia 12,290 9,610 11,200 3,770,430 4,068,270 3,815,530 0.33 0.24 0.29
Hawaii 2,450 3,570 3,570 557,400 612,420 588,210 0.44 0.58 0.61
Idaho 3,630 3,100 3,980 563,200 650,240 598,540 0.64 0.48 0.66
Illinois 18,990 20,370 19,240 5,719,150 5,910,630 5,640,740 0.33 0.34 0.34
Indiana 9,100 11,530 11,350 2,851,210 2,927,620 2,811,920 0.32 0.39 0.40
Iowa 4,370 5,900 7,190 1,413,220 1,502,600 1,470,740 0.31 0.39 0.49
Kansas 4,470 6,010 5,520 1,292,170 1,374,560 1,320,920 0.35 0.44 0.42
Kentucky 5,410 NA 5,680 1,719,620 1,817,860 1,764,750 0.31 NA 0.32
Louisiana 6,170 NA NA 1,851,870 1,887,370 1,868,210 0.33 NA NA
Maine 2,290 2,750 2,870 591,750 604,150 581,110 0.39 0.46 0.49
Maryland 18,630 22,630 25,880 2,448,580 2,561,530 2,510,680 0.76 0.88 1.03
Massachusetts 20,480 26,930 NA 3,130,720 3,234,860 3,202,080 0.65 0.83 NA
Michigan 10,450 NA 13,300 4,310,420 4,142,750 3,918,120 0.24 NA 0.34
Minnesota 11,530 13,990 15,400 2,591,720 2,704,860 2,641,110 0.44 0.52 0.58
Mississippi 4,430 4,890 4,760 1,089,350 1,138,210 1,080,420 0.41 0.43 0.44
Missouri 9,370 10,620 10,400 2,623,020 2,740,170 2,605,910 0.36 0.39 0.40
Montana 2,870 NA 4,010 394,820 444,090 432,380 0.73 NA 0.93
Nebraska 4,070 3,580 4,280 879,550 928,120 914,830 0.46 0.39 0.47
Nevada 3,130 3,400 3,920 1,086,110 1,278,230 1,127,160 0.29 0.27 0.35
New Hampshire 1,720 2,690 2,720 607,570 634,570 612,710 0.28 0.42 0.44
New Jersey 20,970 25,170 21,380 3,878,020 3,986,310 3,793,720 0.54 0.63 0.56
New Mexico 7,580 6,870 NA 747,050 819,480 773,860 1.01 0.84 NA
New York 30,430 28,460 30,780 8,236,200 8,633,580 8,542,280 0.37 0.33 0.36
North Carolina 18,330 21,860 23,190 3,702,170 4,063,420 3,878,800 0.50 0.54 0.60
North Dakota 1,610 1,650 2,130 314,620 350,360 403,290 0.51 0.47 0.53
Ohio 15,550 19,040 18,140 5,308,270 5,323,130 5,054,250 0.29 0.36 0.36
Oklahoma 6,500 5,720 5,820 1,416,640 1,557,750 1,529,900 0.46 0.37 0.38
Oregon 8,130 9,170 9,610 1,537,000 1,706,740 1,609,900 0.53 0.54 0.60
Pennsylvania 25,470 28,610 NA 5,494,430 5,705,170 5,596,480 0.46 0.50 NA
Rhode Island 2,670 2,080 2,200 477,320 478,420 453,020 0.56 0.43 0.49
South Carolina 4,920 5,220 5,200 1,764,170 1,892,690 1,796,550 0.28 0.28 0.29
South Dakota 1,800 2,350 NA 364,970 395,960 398,680 0.49 0.59 NA
Tennessee 7,240 7,920 8,470 2,614,830 2,755,800 2,657,280 0.28 0.29 0.32
Texas 47,660 46,710 47,770 9,248,660 10,391,420 10,579,400 0.52 0.45 0.45
Utah 5,730 6,520 5,200 1,043,500 1,230,320 1,200,850 0.55 0.53 0.43
Vermont 1,230 1,460 1,860 291,400 301,130 294,090 0.42 0.48 0.63
Virginia 14,750 14,810 15,420 3,412,070 3,670,980 3,597,100 0.43 0.40 0.43
Washington 17,970 NA 21,730 2,560,190 2,868,910 2,764,080 0.70 NA 0.79
West Virginia 2,830 2,890 2,930 680,200 717,740 710,540 0.42 0.40 0.41
Wisconsin 11,600 14,580 12,200 2,687,400 2,776,690 2,673,280 0.43 0.53 0.46
Wyoming 1,670 2,320 2,290 240,730 283,980 278,040 0.69 0.82 0.82
 
Puerto Rico 4,870 5,380 4,070 962,000 999,010 942,080 0.51 0.54 0.43
 

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.

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