Report
STEM Median Wage and Salary Earnings
Overview
Employment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has a positive impact on the pocketbook. Median wage and salary earnings are higher for those working in STEM than in non-STEM occupations, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or disability status. Additionally, within the STEM workforce, higher education translates into higher pay. For all demographic groups of STEM workers, those with a bachelor’s degree or higher have higher median earnings than those without college degrees. However, pay disparities exist in the STEM workforce. Female STEM workers earn less than male STEM workers. Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native STEM workers earn less than White and Asian STEM workers. STEM workers with disabilities earn less than those without disabilities.
Various factors contribute to earnings differences. Sex, race, ethnicity, and disability status are examined here by using data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey to explore how demographic characteristics interact with occupation and education to influence earnings. For all groups, median earnings will be compared between STEM and non-STEM occupations and across STEM occupation type (S&E, S&E-related, and middle-skill occupations) and according to educational attainment (with or without at least a bachelor’s degree).
Earnings of STEM and Non-STEM Workers
STEM workers earn more than non-STEM workers, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or disability status.
STEM workers had median wage and salary earnings of about $64,000, higher than the $40,000 earned by those working in non-STEM occupations (figure 4-1).
When the workforce is divided by sex, men who worked in STEM occupations made more than men who had non-STEM jobs ($65,000 vs. $48,000). The same was true for women, who earned $60,000 in STEM occupations and $36,000 in non-STEM occupations. However, when men and women are compared, men had higher median earnings than women in both STEM and non-STEM occupations.
For all racial and ethnic groups, STEM workers had higher median wage and salary earnings than their counterparts who worked in non-STEM jobs. When considering just STEM occupations, Asian workers had the highest median earnings ($92,000), followed by White workers ($66,000), whereas Hispanic workers ($45,000) and American Indian or Alaska Native workers ($50,000) had the lowest.
The same pattern exists among those in the workforce with at least one disability. Those who work in STEM had higher median earnings than those who worked in non-STEM occupations ($57,000 vs. $30,000). However, in both STEM and non-STEM occupation, those without a disability had higher median earnings than those with a disability.
Median wage and salary earnings of the workforce ages 18–74 in STEM and non-STEM occupations, by sex, ethnicity, race, and disability status: 2020
AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; STEM = science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Note(s):
Median wage and salary earnings for the previous year. Civilian noninstitutionalized population plus armed forces living off post or with their families on post. Hispanic or Latino may be any race; race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Other includes Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander and more than one race. Respondents can report more than one disability. Those who reported difficulty with one or more functionalities were classified as having a disability.
Source(s):
Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021.
Earnings of Workers in S&E, S&E-Related, and Middle-Skill Occupations
STEM workers in S&E occupations earn more than those in S&E-related or middle-skill occupations.
When STEM workers are divided by broad occupation type, median wage and salary earnings were highest for those in S&E occupations ($90,000), followed by S&E-related ($67,000), then middle-skill occupations ($50,000). This pattern—where earnings are highest for S&E occupations and lowest for middle-skill occupations—occurs regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or disability status (figure 4-2).
Men had higher median earnings than women in all three broad occupation types. Among those with S&E jobs, men’s median earnings were $100,000 in 2020, compared with $76,000 for women. In S&E-related occupations, the median earnings for men were $80,000, compared with $60,000 for women. Middle-skill earnings showed the smallest difference between men and women ($50,000 vs. $40,000).
In both S&E and S&E-related occupations, Asian workers had the highest median wage and salary earnings, followed by White workers and then by Hispanic and Black workers, whose earnings were comparable. The median earnings for Asian workers in S&E occupations were $107,000, which was higher than those for White ($90,000), Hispanic ($75,000), and Black ($73,000) workers in the same broad occupation type. Within middle-skill occupations, median earnings for White workers were higher than those for Black and Hispanic workers. There was no statistical difference in the median earnings of Asian, Hispanic, and Black middle-skill workers.
Among STEM workers with at least one disability, those employed in S&E occupations had the highest median wage and salary earnings ($89,000), followed by those in S&E-related ($53,000) and middle-skill ($45,000) occupations. Among workers in S&E-related occupations, those without a disability had higher median earnings than those with at least one disability ($68,000 vs. $53,000). Both disabled and nondisabled workers had comparable earnings if they work in S&E (about $90,000) or middle-skill (about $50,000) occupations.
Median wage and salary earnings of the STEM workforce ages 18–74 by occupation and by sex, ethnicity, race, and disability status: 2020
S&E = science and engineering; STEM = science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Note(s):
Median wage and salary earnings for the previous year. Civilian noninstitutionalized population plus armed forces living off post or with their families on post. Hispanic or Latino may be any race; race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Respondents can report more than one disability. Those who reported difficulty with one or more functionalities were classified as having a disability. Estimates suppressed for reliability for American Indian or Alaska Native and other (Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander and more than one race); does not meet unweighted cell size requirements.
Source(s):
Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021.
Educational Attainment and Earnings in STEM Workforce
In the STEM workforce, higher education means higher earnings.
For all demographic groups, STEM workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher had higher median wage and salary earnings than those in the skilled technical workforce (figure 4-3).
Median wage and salary earnings of the STEM workforce ages 18–74 by education and by sex, ethnicity, race, and disability status: 2020
STEM = science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Note(s):
Median wage and salary earnings for the previous year. Civilian noninstitutionalized population plus armed forces living off post or with their families on post. Hispanic or Latino may be any race; race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Respondents can report more than one disability. Those who reported difficulty with one or more functionalities were classified as having a disability. Estimates suppressed for reliability for American Indian or Alaska Native and other (Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander and more than one race); does not meet unweighted cell size requirements.
Source(s):
Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2021.
As seen in the gender pay disparity across broad STEM occupation types, male STEM workers typically make more than female STEM workers regardless of whether they have an advanced degree. The median wage and salary earnings for men with at least a bachelor’s degree was $97,000 in 2020, compared with $74,000 for women in the same education category. In the skilled technical workforce, men’s median earnings ($50,000) were higher than women’s median earnings ($41,000).
In the STEM workforce with a bachelor’s degree or higher, Asian workers ($100,000) had the highest median earnings, followed by White workers ($80,000) and then by Black ($72,000) and Hispanic ($70,000) workers (whose median earnings were comparable). In the skilled technical workforce, White workers had higher median earnings ($52,000) than Black ($45,000), Asian ($44,000), or Hispanic ($40,000) workers.
Earnings were not significantly different by disability status for STEM workers with or without a bachelor’s degree.