SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INDICATORS

This report examines R&D performed by U.S. higher education institutions. It discusses funding by source and S&E field for R&D activities and equipment and provides information on research space. It benchmarks the United States against other nations, and it looks at how academic R&D investments relate to investments in education and training of students and postdoctoral researchers. Academic R&D remains focused on basic research. Most of it is performed by a small percentage of U.S. higher education institutions. The federal government funds over half of academic R&D, although institutional support represents an increasing share.

This report presents national trends in K–12 student achievement and compares U.S. student performance with that of other nations. It explores mathematics and science knowledge from kindergarten to fifth grade, followed by STEM achievement for eighth graders, finding differences across socioeconomic status. International comparisons show that U.S. students score in the middle of advanced economies. The report also finds certain STEM coursetaking in high school relates to the choice of a STEM major in college or to entering the skilled technical workforce among students who transition directly to work.

Elementary and secondary STEM education is the foundation for student entry into postsecondary STEM majors and occupations. This report presents national trends in K–12 student achievement in STEM and compares U.S. STEM achievement with that of other nations. It explores mathematics and computer science achievement, by student characteristics. The report also presents information about secondary school mathematics and science teachers, exploring their qualifications and how these may vary. In addition, the report explores how COVID-19 affected student learning and access to educational resources.

This report examines trends in U.S. S&E higher education within a global context. It contains information on U.S. higher education institutions, including S&E degree awards, student demographics, cost, and debt. S&E fields have grown at all degree levels. Yet many groups of Americans remain underrepresented among degree recipients. The United States continues to attract the most international students worldwide, but the number enrolled in U.S. institutions has declined over the past 2 years. China has rapidly increased the number of S&E degrees awarded, compared with more moderate rises in the United States and the European Union.

Higher Education in Science and Engineering examines U.S. trends within a global context. It discusses degree awards, certificates, student demographics, cost, and debt. S&E degrees continue to increase both in numbers and as shares of total degrees. Representation of women among S&E degree recipients varies by field, and several demographic groups remain underrepresented in S&E degree attainment. The United States awards the most S&E doctorates and is the most popular destination for international students, but international enrollment declined sharply in fall 2020 due to COVID-19.

This report covers trends in the interrelated system of invention, knowledge transfer, and innovation. Patent and trademark applications, which are indicators of invention, more than doubled globally between 2008 and 2017, with middle-income countries worldwide rapidly increasing their participation. In the United States, technology transfer metrics for the federal government and academic institutions include invention disclosure, licensing, and collaboration activities. The last section covers venture capital investment and innovation. Between 2014 and 2016, about 17% of U.S. firms introduced a new product or processes.

Governments, academia, and business all contribute to the interrelated system of invention, knowledge transfer, and innovation. Patenting activities—an indicator of invention—are increasingly international, with middle-income countries increasing their share of patents granted worldwide. Trademark registrations, an indicator of innovation, dropped 9% in 2020 after a decade of growth—a sign of the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Global venture capital investment continued a trend of growth in 2020. The share of this investment to firms headquartered in the United States dropped to 47% in 2020 from 80% in 2000.

This report examines production and trade of knowledge- and technology-intensive industries. These industries consist of high and medium-high R&D-intensive industries. In the high R&D-intensive industries, the United States is the largest global producer of any single country and has a strong position in two of these industries—manufacturing of aircraft and publishing (including software). In the medium-high R&D-intensive industries, China is the largest producer closely followed by the United States. This report also examines artificial intelligence technologies that are predicted to have widespread economic and societal impact.

Knowledge- and technology-intensive (KTI) industries produce innovative products and technologies that are essential for economic growth and for addressing diverse social challenges from health to national security. This report analyzes data on U.S. KTI production, trade, and two enabling technologies: biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI). The United States is the largest global producer of KTI services. U.S. KTI exports rely less on foreign production than do those from other countries. The United States also leads in many aspects of biotechnology and AI, although other countries are rapidly building these capabilities.

This report presents data on peer-reviewed S&E journals and conference proceedings reflecting the rapidly expanding volume of research activity, the involvement and scientific capabilities different countries, and the expanding research ecosystem demonstrated through international collaborations. Publication output grew about 4% annually over the past 10 years. China and India grew more than the world average, while the United States and European Union grew less than the world average. Research papers from the United States and EU countries had higher impact scores. International collaborations have increased over the past 10 years.

This report presents data on conference proceedings and peer-reviewed science and engineering journals that reflect the expanding volume of research activity, the involvement and scientific capabilities of different countries, and the growing research ecosystem demonstrated through international collaborations. Publication output grew 5% over the past 4 years, led by China and other middle-income countries. Internationally collaborative research increased in 2020 with nearly one in four articles having coauthors from multiple countries.

The U.S. R&D enterprise relies on businesses, federal and nonfederal governments, higher education institutions, and other nonprofit organizations. This report identifies trends in R&D performance and funding and compares them to those of the world’s other major economies. The U.S. annual total of R&D has expanded steadily since 2010 (totaling $548 billion in 2017), mostly due to sizable annual increases in business R&D performance. In 2017, the United States remained the world’s top R&D performer. However, the global concentration of R&D continues to shift from the United States and Europe to South Asia and East-Southeast Asia.

Investment in R&D is essential for a country’s success in the global economy and for its ability to address challenges and opportunities in diverse societal areas such as health, environment, and national security. This report analyzes trends in U.S. R&D performance and funding, both domestically and within a global context. The growth of U.S. total R&D has accelerated in the most recent years, due mainly to sizable increases in business R&D. Globally, the United States remains the largest R&D performer; however, the global concentration of R&D continues to shift from the United States and Europe to East-Southeast and South Asia.

The science and engineering (S&E) labor force helps to create and advance our scientific and technological knowledge, transform these advances into goods and services, and fuel America’s economy, security, and quality of life. This report details several aspects of the U.S. S&E workforce, including growth, demographic makeup, earnings, and unemployment. Nearly 7 million individuals work in S&E jobs, and almost 25 million hold an S&E bachelor’s degree or higher. In addition, over 17 million people constitute the skilled technical workforce—individuals who use S&E skills in their job but do not have a bachelor’s degree.

This report examines indicators of U.S. public attitudes and understanding of science and technology (S&T), public concern about S&T issues, and public knowledge of basic S&T facts. The report identifies high-level trends and patterns, some of which are examined by selected demographics of the U.S. public. It also makes comparisons between the United States and other countries, including China, in public attitudes, support for public funding of science, and S&T knowledge. The report finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans in 2018 saw more benefits than harm from science, and 84% supported federal funding of basic research.

Public perceptions of science and technology in the United States affect many aspects of civic life. This report provides insights into public confidence in science, understanding of scientific research principles, and Americans’ engagement with science through media, scientific activities, or children’s science activities. Confidence in science remains high among Americans: 89% of Americans believe scientists work to make life better for the average person. During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. adults tended to think more often about the impact of science in their everyday life than they had before the pandemic.

This report covers trends in and the relative global position of the U.S. S&E enterprise, including education, workforce, R&D, industry output, and innovation. Data show mixed trends. The United States continues to perform the most R&D, award the most S&E doctoral degrees, and account for significant numbers of S&E research articles and citations worldwide. However, growth of S&E capabilities in other nations, particularly China, has outpaced that of the United States along several dimensions. The United States has seen its relative share of global S&T activity flatten or decline, even as its absolute activity levels kept rising.

The United States has a key position in the global science and engineering (S&E) enterprise. As S&E capacity has increased globally, the U.S. position has changed despite increases in the absolute amount of S&E activity in the United States. Although the United States was key in the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, the data in this report show the U.S. S&E enterprise could be strengthened. The data reveal capacity-building areas in the U.S. S&E enterprise in the STEM education system and STEM workforce, R&D investment, and innovation activities.

Individuals in the STEM workforce make important contributions to improve a nation’s living standards, economic growth, and global competitiveness. This report details several aspects of the U.S. STEM workforce, including growth, demographic makeup, earnings, and unemployment. The STEM workforce is made of occupations that require STEM skills and expertise, including occupations not typically considered STEM fields (e.g., maintenance and repair, construction trades, and production occupations). In 2019, the STEM workforce represented 23% of the total U.S. workforce, and over half of this workforce does not have a bachelor’s degree.