Forget the stereotype of the lone scientist in a lab coat, because today's STEM workforce is a sprawling, dynamic engine of over 36.9 million professionals, representing a full quarter of the American workforce and offering lucrative, high-growth careers across every sector from healthcare to construction.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the U.S. STEM workforce totaled 36.9 million people, representing 24% of the total U.S. workforce
- STEM occupations accounted for 10.5% of all U.S. jobs in 2022, with computer and mathematical occupations making up 4.2%
- Engineering occupations employed 1.8 million workers in the U.S. in 2022, growing by 3% from 2019
- From 2021 to 2031, STEM occupations are projected to grow by 10.4%, faster than the 7.7% for all occupations
- Computer and information technology occupations projected to add 682,800 jobs from 2022-2032
- Software developers projected to grow 25% from 2022-2032, much faster than average
- In 2022, median annual wage for STEM occupations was $99,410, 70% higher than all occupations' $58,260
- Software developers earned median $127,260 in 2023
- Data scientists median wage $103,500 in 2023
- In 2021, 50% of STEM workforce were White, 17% Asian, 13% Hispanic
- Women comprised 28% of STEM workers in U.S. in 2022
- Black or African American workers were 9% of STEM workforce in 2021
- By 2031, STEM employment projected to reach 11.0 million core STEM jobs
- Computer/IT jobs to total 6.0 million by 2031
- Engineering jobs projected 1.7 million by 2031
STEM employment is large, diverse, growing fast, and offers high wages.
Demographics
1In 2021, 50% of STEM workforce were White, 17% Asian, 13% Hispanic
Verified2Women comprised 28% of STEM workers in U.S. in 2022
Verified3Black or African American workers were 9% of STEM workforce in 2021
Verified4Asian workers made up 17% of STEM employees in 2021, highest in computer occupations at 25%
Directional5Hispanic or Latino STEM workers were 13% in 2021
Single source6In engineering, women were 16% of workforce in 2021
Verified7Computer occupations had 26% women in 2021
Verified8Mathematical occupations women share was 44% in 2021
Verified9Physical sciences women 39% in 2021
Directional10Biological/agricultural sciences women 48% in 2021
Single source11Psychology/social sciences women 67% in 2021 STEM
Verified12STEM workforce age 25-34 was 22% in 2021
Verified13STEM workers aged 55+ were 22% in 2021
Verified14Foreign-born workers 19% of U.S. STEM workforce in 2021
Directional15In computer/math occupations, 27% foreign-born in 2021
Single source16Engineering foreign-born share 24% in 2021
Verified17Bachelor's degree or higher held by 75% of STEM workers in 2021
Verified1823% of STEM workforce had graduate degrees in 2021
Verified19Underrepresented minorities (URM) 16% of STEM in 2021
Directional20Women with STEM degrees in workforce 50% after 20 years, vs 70% for men
Single source21Asian men 10% of STEM, Asian women 7% in 2021
Verified22White men 34%, White women 15% of STEM 2021
Verified23Black men 5%, Black women 4% STEM 2021
Verified24Hispanic men 8%, Hispanic women 5% STEM 2021
Directional25Native American/Alaska Native 0.4% STEM 2021
Single source26Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.2% STEM 2021
Verified27Multiracial 2% of STEM workforce 2021
VerifiedDemographics Interpretation
The STEM field showcases a promising yet uneven mosaic, where women dominate psychology but remain scarce in engineering, and where a heavy reliance on foreign-born talent coexists with persistent underrepresentation for many domestic groups, proving that while we've built a high-tech future, we're still using an outdated blueprint for its workforce.
Earnings
1In 2022, median annual wage for STEM occupations was $99,410, 70% higher than all occupations' $58,260
Verified2Software developers earned median $127,260 in 2023
Verified3Data scientists median wage $103,500 in 2023
Verified4Computer and information research scientists earned $145,080 median in 2023
Directional5Information security analysts median $120,360 in 2023
Single source6Computer systems analysts earned $103,800 median in 2023
Verified7Database administrators median $101,510 in 2023
Verified8Network and computer systems administrators $95,360 median 2023
Verified9Computer network architects $129,840 median 2023
Directional10Web developers $84,960 median 2023
Single source11Civil engineers median $95,890 in 2023
Verified12Petroleum engineers $137,320 median 2023
Verified13Computer hardware engineers $138,080 median 2023
Verified14Aerospace engineers $130,720 median 2023
Directional15Nuclear engineers $125,460 median 2023
Single source16Chemical engineers $112,100 median 2023
Verified17Electrical engineers $106,950 median 2023
Verified18Materials scientists $104,100 median 2023
Verified19Physicists $159,490 median 2023
Directional20Actuaries $120,000 median 2023
Single source21Operations research analysts $95,230 median 2023
Verified22Economists $115,730 median 2023
Verified23In STEM, top 10% earners make over $186,000 annually vs $113,000 for all occupations in 2022
Verified24STEM bachelor's degree holders earn median $98,000 early career
Directional25Women in STEM earn 89% of men's wages on average in 2021
Single source26STEM workers with doctoral degrees earn median $124,000 in 2022
VerifiedEarnings Interpretation
If you're hoping for a job that pays like a ransom note, STEM fields are basically the kidnapper holding the economy hostage, with data scientists as the negotiators and physicists counting the cash.
Employment Levels
1In 2022, the U.S. STEM workforce totaled 36.9 million people, representing 24% of the total U.S. workforce
Verified2STEM occupations accounted for 10.5% of all U.S. jobs in 2022, with computer and mathematical occupations making up 4.2%
Verified3Engineering occupations employed 1.8 million workers in the U.S. in 2022, growing by 3% from 2019
Verified4Life, physical, and social science occupations had 1.3 million U.S. workers in 2022
Directional5In 2021, 8.9 million women were employed in STEM occupations in the U.S., comprising 28% of the STEM workforce
Single source6Computer occupations saw 4.7 million U.S. workers in 2022, the largest STEM group
Verified7Architecture and engineering jobs totaled 2.4 million in the U.S. in 2022
Verified8Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, often classified under STEM, employed 9.2 million in 2022
Verified9In California, STEM employment reached 2.1 million in 2021, 28% of state workforce
Directional10Texas had 1.4 million STEM workers in 2021
Single source11New York STEM employment was 1.1 million in 2022
Verified12STEM jobs in manufacturing sectors employed 2.3 million U.S. workers in 2022
Verified13Federal government employed 0.4 million STEM workers in 2022
Verified14Educational services sector had 1.2 million STEM employees in 2022
Directional15Professional, scientific, and technical services employed 5.6 million STEM workers in 2022
Single source16Finance and insurance sectors had 0.9 million STEM jobs in 2022
Verified17Retail trade employed 0.3 million STEM workers in 2022
Verified18Transportation and warehousing had 0.2 million STEM employees in 2022
Verified19Utilities sector employed 0.1 million STEM workers in 2022
Directional20Construction industry had 0.5 million STEM jobs in 2022
Single source21Wholesale trade employed 0.4 million STEM workers in 2022
Verified22Information sector had 1.1 million STEM employees in 2022
Verified23Arts, entertainment, and recreation employed 0.1 million STEM workers
Verified24Accommodation and food services had minimal STEM employment at 0.05 million in 2022
Directional25Other services employed 0.2 million STEM workers in 2022
Single source26Mining, quarrying, and oil/gas extraction had 0.1 million STEM jobs in 2022
Verified27Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting employed 0.1 million STEM workers
Verified28Management of companies and enterprises had 0.3 million STEM employees in 2022
Verified29Administrative and support services employed 0.6 million STEM workers in 2022
Directional30STEM employment in the U.S. South region was 12.4 million in 2022
Single sourceEmployment Levels Interpretation
The landscape of American work is increasingly being surveyed, coded, and engineered, as evidenced by a quarter of the workforce now being in STEM, yet this cerebral empire is still embarrassingly under-constructed when it comes to gender equity and surprisingly reliant on the non-tech sectors that quietly employ millions of its specialists.
Job Growth
1From 2021 to 2031, STEM occupations are projected to grow by 10.4%, faster than the 7.7% for all occupations
Verified2Computer and information technology occupations projected to add 682,800 jobs from 2022-2032
Verified3Software developers projected to grow 25% from 2022-2032, much faster than average
Verified4Information security analysts to grow 32% from 2022-2032
Directional5Data scientists projected 35% growth 2022-2032
Single source6Civil engineers expected 5% growth 2022-2032
Verified7Biomedical engineers to grow 5% 2022-2032
Verified8Environmental engineers projected 4% growth 2022-2032
Verified9Operations research analysts to grow 23% 2022-2032
Directional10Actuaries projected 24% growth 2022-2032
Single source11Mathematicians and statisticians to grow 30% 2022-2032
Verified12Physicists and astronomers projected 7% growth 2022-2032
Verified13Chemists and materials scientists to grow 6% 2022-2032
Verified14Biological scientists projected 7% growth 2022-2032
Directional15STEM jobs expected to grow 8.8 million from 2020-2030 per NSF
Single source16Computer programming jobs to decline 10% 2022-2032 due to automation
Verified17Mechanical engineers projected 10% growth 2022-2032
Verified18Electrical engineers to grow 5% 2022-2032
Verified19Industrial engineers projected 12% growth 2022-2032
Directional20Aerospace engineers to grow 6% 2022-2032
Single source21Agricultural engineers projected 4% growth 2022-2032
Verified22Marine engineers and naval architects to grow 1% 2022-2032
Verified23Materials engineers projected 5% growth 2022-2032
Verified24Petroleum engineers to decline 3% 2022-2032
Directional25Nuclear engineers projected 1% growth 2022-2032
Single source26Health and safety engineers to grow 4% 2022-2032
VerifiedJob Growth Interpretation
While the machines are coming for the programmers and the fossil fuel engineers, the future clearly belongs to the data wranglers, code crafters, and digital guardians who will build, protect, and decipher our increasingly automated world.
Projections
1By 2031, STEM employment projected to reach 11.0 million core STEM jobs
Verified2Computer/IT jobs to total 6.0 million by 2031
Verified3Engineering jobs projected 1.7 million by 2031
Verified4Science occupations to reach 1.3 million by 2031
Directional5STEM occupations projected 10.5% growth 2021-2031 vs 7.7% all jobs
Single source6By 2029, 531,200 new computing jobs expected
Verified7STEM labor shortages projected for 1.4 million jobs by 2025 per BCG
Verified8NSF projects 79% of STEM jobs by 2025 will require bachelor's or higher
Verified9U.S. to face 3.5 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2025, many STEM
Directional10Cybersecurity jobs to grow to 3.5 million globally by 2025, 500k U.S.
Single source11AI/ML specialists projected 40% annual growth through 2027
Verified12By 2030, 85 million jobs may be displaced by automation, but 97 million new STEM-heavy created
Verified13Green jobs in STEM projected 8% annual growth to 2030
Verified14Healthcare STEM jobs to grow 16% by 2030
Directional15By 2040, STEM workforce needs 10 million more net hires
Single source16Quantum computing jobs to reach 50,000 by 2030 in U.S.
Verified17Data science jobs projected to triple to 11.5 million globally by 2026
Verified18Robotics engineers jobs to grow 9% annually to 2030
Verified19Biotech STEM jobs projected 7% growth annually to 2028
Directional20Renewable energy engineers to see 20% demand increase by 2030
Single sourceProjections Interpretation
While the robots are coming for our old jobs, we'd better start building, coding, and analyzing our way into the 11 million new ones they're creating, lest we find ourselves outpaced by both the machines and the urgent demand for the humans who understand them.
Sources & References
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