The National Science Board (Board, NSB) is required under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1863 (j) (1) to prepare the biennial Science and Engineering Indicators (Indicators) report for and transmit it 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 summary report, The State of U.S. Science and Engineering, details key findings from the nine thematic reports that make up Indicators, providing in-depth data and information on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all degree levels; the STEM workforce; public perceptions and awareness of science and technology; U.S. and international research and development performance; invention, knowledge transfer, and innovation; and U.S. competitiveness in high-technology industries. Indicators also includes an interactive, online tool that enables state comparisons on a variety of S&E indicators. This summary report, the nine thematic reports, and the online State Indicators data tool together make up the full Indicators suite of products.