In 2022, underrepresented minorities filled 24.6% of STEM jobs in tech sectors. This figure highlights both progress and persistent gaps in representation across science and engineering fields.
Key Takeaways
- NSF-funded diversity programs reduced URM dropout by 11.4% in 2021
- Hispanic enrollment in graduate STEM programs reached 10.5% in 2021 for master's level
- URMs in leadership roles: Blacks held 8.4% of STEM department chairs in 2022
- Black students had a 45.2% six-year completion rate in STEM bachelor's programs in 2020, vs. 65.7% for whites
- Black women earned 4.2% of all undergraduate engineering degrees in 2021
- In 2021, Hispanic or Latino students represented only 12.4% of all undergraduate STEM majors, compared to 18.9% of the total undergraduate population
- Black or African American workers held 9.1% of all STEM occupations in 2022
Minorities in STEM remain underrepresented, but targeted efforts and mentorship can drive meaningful progress.
Related reading
01 · Category
Diversity Initiatives15 stats
01
NSF-funded diversity programs reduced URM dropout by 11.4% in 2021
02
ADVANCE grants increased women of color faculty in STEM by 7.2% at participating institutions in 2020
03
HBCUs produced 25.1% of Black STEM bachelor's degrees in 2022 despite 3% of enrollment
04
LSAMP program boosted URM STEM grad rates by 14.3% from 2018-2021
05
INCLUDES alliances engaged 120,000 URMs in STEM activities in 2022
06
Tech companies' diversity training raised minority hires by 9.8% in 2021
07
Gates Millennium Scholars awarded 12,400 STEM scholarships to URMs in 2020
08
SACNAS conferences supported 5,200 minority STEM researchers in 2022
09
NIH diversity supplements funded 1,800 URM trainees in 2021
10
Code.org's diversity efforts trained 45% more URMs in CS by 2022
11
Black students in Meyerhoff Scholars Program had 92% STEM PhD attainment rate in 2020
12
Hispanic-serving institutions granted 18.7% of Latino STEM degrees in 2021
13
Tribal colleges increased Native STEM enrollment by 22.4% via NSF grants in 2022
14
Women in Engineering programs lifted URM women retention by 16.5% in 2021
15
Google Generation Scholarship awarded $11M to 1,200 minority STEM students in 2020
Interpretation
Diversity Initiatives Interpretation
The data proves that when we invest in targeted, systemic support for underrepresented groups in STEM, the results aren't just heartwarming anecdotes but statistically significant leaps forward, turning leaky pipelines into pathways.
02 · Category
Graduate Enrollment17 stats
01
Hispanic enrollment in graduate STEM programs reached 10.5% in 2021 for master's level
02
Black or African American students comprised 6.2% of doctoral candidates in engineering in 2022
03
Native American graduate enrollment in biological sciences was 0.6% in 2020
04
In 2021, Hispanic women made up 7.8% of STEM master's programs
05
Asian Americans held 18.4% of computer science PhD enrollments in 2022
06
Black graduate students were 4.9% of mathematics PhD programs in 2020
07
Multiracial enrollment in physical sciences graduate programs hit 2.3% in 2021
08
Underrepresented minorities accounted for 15.7% of all STEM doctoral students in 2022
09
In 2021, Pacific Islanders were 0.1% of engineering master's enrollees
10
Black students earned 5.4% of STEM master's degrees in 2022
11
Hispanic doctoral recipients in computer science were 8.2% in 2020
12
Native American PhD candidates in chemistry comprised 0.4% in 2021
13
Women from URMs held 12.1% of biological sciences PhDs in 2022
14
Asian graduate students earned 22.6% of engineering doctorates in 2020
15
In 2021, Black women completed 3.1% of physics PhDs
16
Multiracial students were 3.2% of data science master's graduates in 2022
17
Hispanic men earned 9.7% of computer engineering PhDs in 2021
Interpretation
Graduate Enrollment Interpretation
These statistics show that while we're slowly chipping away at the monolithic face of STEM, the diversity mosaic we're building still has far too many glaring, underrepresented gaps to be considered a true masterpiece of inclusion.
03 · Category
Leadership Positions14 stats
01
URMs in leadership roles: Blacks held 8.4% of STEM department chairs in 2022
02
Hispanic Nobel laureates in sciences: 2 out of 623 total since 1901 as of 2023
03
Native American CEOs in STEM firms: 0.2% of Fortune 500 tech in 2022
04
Black women presidents of AAAS: 1 since founding, elected in 2021
05
Asians comprised 14.7% of STEM patent holders in 2021
06
Hispanic VPs in biotech firms reached 7.9% in 2022 surveys
07
Black faculty in tenure-track STEM: 5.6% at R1 universities in 2020
08
URMs awarded 11.3% of NSF career grants in 2021
09
Women of color deans in engineering schools: 4.2% in 2022
10
Native inventors patented 0.3% of USPTO STEM filings in 2021
11
Multiracial leaders in AI research: 2.1% of principal investigators in 2022
12
Black recipients of MacArthur genius grants in STEM: 3 since 1981
13
Hispanic board members in S&P 500 tech: 6.8% in 2023
14
URMs in federal STEM advisory roles: 19.4% in 2022
Interpretation
Leadership Positions Interpretation
The statistics reveal a mosaic of missed opportunities, where talent from underrepresented communities seems to perpetually knock on the door of recognition but rarely gets the full welcome mat rolled out.
04 · Category
Retention Rates18 stats
01
Black students had a 45.2% six-year completion rate in STEM bachelor's programs in 2020, vs. 65.7% for whites
02
Hispanic attrition from engineering undergrad was 38.1% after two years in 2021
03
Native American STEM graduates faced 22.4% dropout rate in grad school in 2022
04
In 2020, Black women left computer science majors at 41.7% rate
05
URMs cited lack of belonging as 28.3% reason for STEM departure in 2021 surveys
06
Asian retention in STEM was 78.4% vs. 62.1% for Hispanics in 2022
07
Black PhD candidates had 15.6% attrition in engineering in 2020
08
Hispanic graduate retention improved to 71.2% in biological sciences by 2021
09
Native women faced 29.8% barriers from mentorship lack in STEM grad programs 2022
10
Multiracial STEM undergrad retention was 68.7% in 2021
11
34.2% of Black STEM workers reported discrimination impacting retention in 2020
12
Hispanic men cited financial barriers in 26.5% of STEM exits in 2022
13
URMs experienced 19.4% higher imposter syndrome in STEM than peers in 2021
14
Black graduate retention boosted by 8.2% with inclusive programs in 2020
15
Native American undergrads had 47.1% transfer-out rate from STEM in 2022
16
Women of color reported 31.7% microaggressions leading to STEM attrition in 2021
17
52.3% of Hispanic STEM PhD students persisted to completion in 2020 vs. 67.8% whites
18
Black professionals in tech had 18.9% voluntary turnover rate in 2022
Interpretation
Retention Rates Interpretation
While the STEM pipeline is designed to be a meritocratic elevator, these statistics reveal it's currently running with a leaky roof, broken buttons on certain floors, and an unjust fare structure that disproportionately asks underrepresented passengers to pay with their confidence and sense of belonging.
More related reading
05 · Category
Undergraduate Degrees12 stats
01
Black women earned 4.2% of all undergraduate engineering degrees in 2021
02
Hispanic students received 13.1% of computer science bachelor's in 2022, up from 9.8% in 2015
03
Native Hawaiian students graduated with 0.3% of biological sciences degrees in 2020
04
In 2021, Black or African American students earned 6.8% of mathematics and statistics bachelor's degrees
05
Women of color comprised 11.4% of physical sciences bachelor's recipients in 2022
06
Asian undergraduates earned 24.7% of all engineering bachelor's in 2020
07
Hispanic men received 8.9% of computer engineering degrees in 2021
08
Black students' share of STEM bachelor's rose to 9.3% in 2022 from 7.1% in 2010
09
Native American graduates held 0.4% of environmental science degrees in 2021
10
Multiracial undergraduates earned 3.7% of all STEM degrees in 2020
11
In 2022, underrepresented minorities earned 18.2% of bachelor's in data science programs
12
Black women received 3.9% of electrical engineering bachelor's in 2021
Interpretation
Undergraduate Degrees Interpretation
These numbers paint a stark, stubborn portrait of both progress and profound exclusion, where celebrating a few percentage points of gain feels like a bittersweet victory in a race still rigged at the starting line.
06 · Category
Undergraduate Enrollment10 stats
01
In 2021, Hispanic or Latino students represented only 12.4% of all undergraduate STEM majors, compared to 18.9% of the total undergraduate population
02
Black or African American undergraduates earned 8.1% of computer science bachelor's degrees in 2020, despite being 14.2% of college enrollees
03
Native American students comprised just 0.5% of engineering undergraduates in 2022, while making up 1.3% of the U.S. population aged 18-24
04
In fall 2020, women from underrepresented minorities held 14.7% of STEM undergraduate seats in public universities
05
Asian American undergraduates dominated biological sciences at 22.3% enrollment in 2021, but URMs totaled only 19.8%
06
Hispanic enrollment in mathematics majors rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2021 but remained at 11.6% of total math majors
07
Black students were 7.9% of physical sciences undergraduates in 2020, lagging behind their 13.4% share of total enrollment
08
In 2022, Pacific Islander undergraduates made up 0.2% of computer and information sciences programs
09
Multiracial students increased to 4.1% of STEM undergrads in 2021 from 2.8% in 2016
10
In 2020, underrepresented minorities accounted for 22.5% of all STEM bachelor's degree recipients
Interpretation
Undergraduate Enrollment Interpretation
While progress is not moving at a glacial pace, the persistent underrepresentation of minority groups in nearly every STEM field suggests the pipeline is still more of a leaky faucet, barely dripping with the diversity our collective innovation desperately needs.
07 · Category
Workforce Representation16 stats
01
Black or African American workers held 9.1% of all STEM occupations in 2022
02
Hispanics comprised 16.8% of the STEM workforce in 2021, compared to 19.1% of total U.S. workforce
03
Native Americans made up 0.7% of engineering jobs in 2022
04
In 2020, Black women occupied 3.4% of computer and mathematical science positions
05
Asian Americans held 17.2% of physical scientist roles in 2022
06
Hispanic men were 11.3% of software developer jobs in 2021
07
Black STEM workers experienced 14.2% unemployment rate in 2020, higher than 8.1% for whites
08
Native Hawaiian professionals comprised 0.4% of life sciences occupations in 2022
09
Multiracial individuals held 2.9% of architecture and engineering positions in 2021
10
Underrepresented minorities filled 24.6% of all STEM jobs in tech sectors in 2022
11
In 2021, Black employees earned 12.5% of biomedical research positions
12
Hispanic women were 6.8% of data science workforce in 2022
13
Asian dominance in semiconductor engineering at 25.4% in 2020
14
Native American retention in federal STEM agencies was 0.5% in 2021
15
Black men held 7.2% of electrical engineering roles in 2022
16
Hispanic STEM workers grew 12.3% from 2019-2022
Interpretation
Workforce Representation Interpretation
The statistics paint a picture of a STEM landscape where progress for some groups is both being made and meticulously gatekept from others, proving that while talent is evenly distributed, opportunity clearly is not.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Minorities In Stem Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/minorities-in-stem-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Minorities In Stem Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/minorities-in-stem-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Minorities In Stem Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/minorities-in-stem-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level