The National Science Board (Board) is required under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1863 (j) (1) to prepare and transmit the biennial Science and Engineering Indicators (Indicators) report to the President and Congress every even-numbered year. The report is prepared by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within NSF under the guidance of the Board.

Indicators provides information on the state of the U.S. science and engineering (S&E) enterprise over time and within a global context. The report is a policy-relevant, policy-neutral source of high-quality U.S. and international data. The indicators presented in the report are quantitative representations relevant to the scope, quality, and vitality of the S&E enterprise.

This report summarizes key findings from the nine thematic reports providing in-depth data and information on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels; the STEM workforce; U.S. and international research and development performance; U.S. competitiveness in high-technology industries; invention, knowledge transfer, and innovation; and public perceptions and awareness of science and technology. Indicators also includes an interactive, online tool that enables state comparisons on a variety of S&E indicators. This report, the nine thematic reports, and the online State Indicators data tool together comprise the full Indicators suite of products.