Report
STEM Workforce with at Least a Bachelor's Degree
Overview
A bachelor’s degree is typically seen as the gateway to better jobs, higher wages, and for some, a pathway out of poverty. Using data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics’ (NCSES’s) 2021 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), this report evaluates the distribution of college-educated women, racial and ethnic minority groups, and people with one or more disabilities among workers in science and engineering (S&E) and S&E-related occupations. The section also analyzes college graduates in non-S&E occupations for comparative purposes. The information in this section complements that in the previous sections of this report on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce that use data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS). This section provides more details about the representation of these groups in specific S&E occupations (see https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20212/table/SLBR-4). Information is presented about full-time (35 hours or more per week) and part-time (less than 35 hours per week) employment of women, the group composed of underrepresented minorities (Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, and American Indian or Alaska Native), and workers with at least one disability. Where sufficient data are available, specific S&E occupation details for each underrepresented minority group are provided. Because the data sources differ, there are some differences in the values between this section and the other sections on the STEM workforce. For details, see sidebar Defining Race and Ethnicity and sidebar Defining Persons with at Least One Disability.
Women with at least a bachelor’s degree were unevenly represented in S&E occupations, with the highest representation among social and related scientists and the lowest representation among engineers. Workers with one or more disabilities were relatively evenly distributed across S&E occupations. Among those working in S&E occupations with at least a bachelor’s degree, a greater proportion of women and those with one or more disabilities were employed part time than their counterparts (men and those without disabilities). Underrepresented minorities and their counterparts (collectively, Whites, Asians, and those in the “other” race group, which includes single race, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and multi-race groups, not Hispanic) had similar rates of part-time employment.
Representation in the Workforce with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree
Women make up a smaller portion of the S&E workforce than they do of the college-educated workforce overall.
Women made up 51% of the total labor force with at least a bachelor’s degree (college-educated labor force) in 2021 (figure 6-1). Similar to the overall STEM workforce (figure 2-3), women represent a smaller proportion than men of the college-educated workforce in S&E occupations—29% were women (figure 6-1). The distribution of women among the S&E occupations is uneven in the college-educated labor force. In 2021, 61% of social and related scientists were women, as were 46% of biological, agricultural, and other life scientists, 33% of physical and related scientists, 26% of computer and mathematical scientists, and 16% of engineers. Compared with men, a greater share of college-educated workers in S&E-related occupations and non-S&E occupations were women (58% and 54%, respectively) in 2021.
College-educated women, by occupation: 2021
S&E = science and engineering.
Note(s):
Data include workers younger than age 75.
Source(s):
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2021.
Black Americans make up a smaller proportion of workers in S&E occupations than they do of workers in S&E-related occupations.
In 2021, 10% of the college-educated workforce were Hispanic, 8% were Black, and 0.2% were American Indian or Alaska Native (figure 6-2). Collectively, these underrepresented minorities constituted 14% of the college-educated workforce in S&E occupations, 17% of those in S&E-related occupations, and 20% of those in non-S&E occupations.
Race and ethnicity of the college-educated workforce, by occupation: 2021
AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; S&E = science and engineering.
Note(s):
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. Data include workers younger than age 75.
Source(s):
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2021.
Representation of underrepresented minority groups as a whole in S&E occupations ranged from 12% to 18%.
Within S&E occupations, a total of 18% of social and related scientists were Black, Hispanic, or American Indian or Alaska Native, and 12% of physical and related scientists and engineers were made up of these underrepresented groups (figure 6-3). The representation of Black workers varied little among the S&E occupations. Hispanic workers were highly represented among social and related scientists, making up 11% of this group. American Indian or Alaska Native individuals were less than 0.5% of the workers in any S&E occupation.
Race and ethnicity of the college-educated workforce, by S&E occupation: 2021
AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; S&E = science and engineering.
Note(s):
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. Data include workers younger than age 75.
Source(s):
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2021.
Representation of workers with at least one disability varied little among S&E and S&E-related occupations.
Among the employed college-educated workforce, 12% reported at least one disability in 2021 (figure 6-4). Although 13% of college-educated workers in non-S&E occupations had at least one disability, a smaller proportion of workers in S&E and S&E-related occupations reported having at least one disability (11% and 10%, respectively). Among those in S&E occupations, rates of disability were similar across the major occupation groups.
College-educated persons with disabilities, by occupation: 2021
S&E = science and engineering.
Note(s):
Data include workers younger than age 75.
Source(s):
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of College Graduates, 2021.