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Table 34. Postdoctoral appointees in science, engineering, and health in all institutions, by field, citizenship, ethnicity, and race: 2010–15

Field, citizenship, ethnicity, and race 2010a 2011a 2012 2013 2014oldb 2014newb 2015
All surveyed fields 63,439 62,639 62,851 61,942 62,379 63,593 63,861
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 30,155 29,712 29,864 29,546 29,630 30,095 28,726
Hispanic or Latino 1,276 1,359 1,351 1,490 1,501 1,543 1,526
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 97 90 85 121 96 98 85
Asian 5,944 5,638 5,367 5,440 5,300 5,430 5,114
Black or African American 980 1,042 1,104 1,132 1,197 1,209 1,061
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 94 85 99 77 76 77 82
White 17,256 17,286 17,280 17,348 17,179 17,448 17,239
More than one race 143 221 186 263 249 256 394
Unknown ethnicity and race 4,365 3,991 4,392 3,675 4,032 4,034 3,225
Temporary visa holders 33,284 32,927 32,987 32,396 32,749 33,498 35,135
Science and engineering 44,320 44,121 43,841 43,395 43,476 44,623 45,295
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 20,430 20,340 20,214 20,257 20,018 20,453 19,593
Hispanic or Latino 813 901 862 961 978 1,020 1,025
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 62 66 51 71 63 65 56
Asian 3,592 3,502 3,330 3,526 3,374 3,489 3,305
Black or African American 564 610 615 667 690 702 641
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 53 53 63 50 52 53 32
White 11,980 11,965 11,835 11,953 11,739 11,994 12,079
More than one race 81 161 112 165 162 168 268
Unknown ethnicity and race 3,285 3,082 3,346 2,864 2,960 2,962 2,187
Temporary visa holders 23,890 23,781 23,627 23,138 23,458 24,170 25,702
Science 37,351 37,335 36,738 36,289 36,184 37,316 37,639
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 17,793 17,706 17,476 17,551 17,229 17,661 17,072
Hispanic or Latino 744 799 750 845 862 904 917
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 58 62 48 68 60 62 48
Asian 2,966 2,895 2,736 2,898 2,760 2,873 2,755
Black or African American 493 533 544 607 579 591 559
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 45 46 61 46 47 48 29
White 10,676 10,730 10,510 10,640 10,386 10,640 10,682
More than one race 70 137 96 147 150 156 244
Unknown ethnicity and race 2,741 2,504 2,731 2,300 2,385 2,387 1,838
Temporary visa holders 19,558 19,629 19,262 18,738 18,955 19,655 20,567
Agricultural sciences 1,190 1,256 1,290 1,319 1,395 1,402 1,525
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 609 655 715 737 725 729 761
Hispanic or Latino 24 32 31 34 37 37 42
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 4 5 2 0 2 2 1
Asian 116 108 121 125 111 111 122
Black or African American 22 22 21 21 27 27 19
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 1 4 3 1 1 0
White 387 389 426 428 418 422 460
More than one race 0 2 4 9 6 6 10
Unknown ethnicity and race 56 96 106 117 123 123 107
Temporary visa holders 581 601 575 582 670 673 764
Biological sciences 21,726 21,107 20,086 19,330 18,749 19,554 19,304
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 10,283 9,877 9,194 8,984 8,658 8,958 8,538
Hispanic or Latino 473 461 413 467 463 497 502
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 27 33 23 41 29 31 22
Asian 1,987 1,863 1,664 1,689 1,609 1,686 1,580
Black or African American 312 303 315 332 290 300 290
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 30 32 36 23 37 38 17
White 5,901 5,742 5,304 5,213 4,985 5,157 5,086
More than one race 44 60 49 58 60 64 134
Unknown ethnicity and race 1,509 1,383 1,390 1,161 1,185 1,185 907
Temporary visa holders 11,443 11,230 10,892 10,346 10,091 10,596 10,766
Communication 62 67 58 76 75 75 83
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 38 38 32 45 40 40 44
Hispanic or Latino 2 2 1 2 4 4 2
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 1 4 1 2 5 5 4
Black or African American 2 2 1 2 2 2 4
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 26 19 16 25 16 16 24
More than one race 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 7 10 13 14 13 13 10
Temporary visa holders 24 29 26 31 35 35 39
Computer sciences 763 759 760 765 833 834 888
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 308 312 297 302 320 320 319
Hispanic or Latino 8 12 14 17 17 17 11
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 2 1 0 1 2 2 2
Asian 58 60 60 68 65 65 60
Black or African American 5 10 11 17 14 14 12
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 2 0 0 0 0 1
White 185 179 151 153 177 177 192
More than one race 0 3 1 2 4 4 4
Unknown ethnicity and race 50 45 60 44 41 41 37
Temporary visa holders 455 447 463 463 513 514 569
Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 1,740 1,774 1,956 2,032 2,059 2,061 2,129
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 953 987 1,069 1,144 1,154 1,156 1,152
Hispanic or Latino 28 37 41 42 47 47 57
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 7 3 3 2 5 5 3
Asian 76 120 119 123 129 129 130
Black or African American 9 11 15 17 17 18 16
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 1 1 3 1 1 3
White 648 678 737 800 815 816 831
More than one race 4 22 12 24 19 19 21
Unknown ethnicity and race 181 115 141 133 121 121 91
Temporary visa holders 787 787 887 888 905 905 977
Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 30 52 58 90 93 114 103
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 23 41 43 69 77 84 81
Hispanic or Latino 0 1 2 2 3 4 8
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Asian 3 2 3 14 15 17 10
Black or African American 2 4 3 8 5 6 5
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 18 30 34 40 48 51 51
More than one race 0 0 0 1 1 1 4
Unknown ethnicity and race 0 4 0 4 5 5 3
Temporary visa holders 7 11 15 21 16 30 22
Mathematics and statistics 791 830 902 932 956 959 1,011
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 415 419 456 488 432 433 393
Hispanic or Latino 11 17 18 18 19 19 16
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 1 0 0 0 5 5 3
Asian 32 38 36 52 42 42 42
Black or African American 4 10 6 10 10 10 10
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 1 1 1 1 0
White 288 273 288 305 278 279 268
More than one race 3 4 5 8 4 4 4
Unknown ethnicity and race 76 77 102 94 73 73 50
Temporary visa holders 376 411 446 444 524 526 618
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 785 704 742 891 1,045 1,045 972
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 459 390 427 504 566 566 525
Hispanic or Latino 17 15 19 20 24 24 26
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 4 1 1 6 6 0
Asian 45 43 52 75 73 73 83
Black or African American 7 20 17 17 14 14 19
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 3 2 2 2 0
White 287 269 291 339 380 380 361
More than one race 2 0 5 5 5 5 3
Unknown ethnicity and race 101 39 39 45 62 62 33
Temporary visa holders 326 314 315 387 479 479 447
Neurobiology and neuroscience 838 1,398 1,525 1,696 1,778 1,878 1,957
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 392 691 737 832 894 938 931
Hispanic or Latino 15 34 22 52 43 47 52
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 3 1 1 3 1 1 1
Asian 64 80 96 138 133 145 147
Black or African American 14 13 14 13 24 24 25
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1 3 1 1 1 1 1
White 224 400 438 475 516 542 546
More than one race 3 3 2 8 9 11 12
Unknown ethnicity and race 68 157 163 142 167 167 147
Temporary visa holders 446 707 788 864 884 940 1,026
Physical sciences 7,583 7,490 7,430 7,197 7,089 7,277 7,358
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 3,011 2,964 3,109 3,016 2,889 2,958 2,753
Hispanic or Latino 99 106 116 111 110 113 107
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 11 7 12 14 5 5 7
Asian 486 483 483 489 444 465 447
Black or African American 59 84 78 86 98 98 72
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 12 6 8 8 2 2 7
White 1,850 1,860 1,883 1,894 1,769 1,814 1,787
More than one race 7 36 13 23 29 29 29
Unknown ethnicity and race 487 382 516 391 432 432 297
Temporary visa holders 4,572 4,526 4,321 4,181 4,200 4,319 4,605
Psychology 1,132 1,124 1,132 1,023 1,062 1,066 1,130
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 813 795 843 785 761 765 791
Hispanic or Latino 39 36 42 30 39 39 43
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 1 1 0 1 1 1 2
Asian 53 52 47 58 54 54 56
Black or African American 25 20 28 34 25 25 35
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 1 1 1 0 0 0
White 554 575 629 592 558 560 584
More than one race 4 1 2 5 5 5 9
Unknown ethnicity and race 135 109 94 64 79 81 62
Temporary visa holders 319 329 289 238 301 301 339
Social sciences 711 774 799 938 1,050 1,051 1,179
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 489 537 554 645 713 714 784
Hispanic or Latino 28 46 31 50 56 56 51
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 2 7 5 5 4 4 7
Asian 45 42 54 65 80 81 74
Black or African American 32 34 35 50 53 53 52
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 6 4 2 2 0
White 308 316 313 376 426 426 492
More than one race 3 5 3 4 8 8 14
Unknown ethnicity and race 71 87 107 91 84 84 94
Temporary visa holders 222 237 245 293 337 337 395
Engineering 6,969 6,786 7,103 7,106 7,292 7,307 7,656
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 2,637 2,634 2,738 2,706 2,789 2,792 2,521
Hispanic or Latino 69 102 112 116 116 116 108
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 4 4 3 3 3 3 8
Asian 626 607 594 628 614 616 550
Black or African American 71 77 71 60 111 111 82
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 8 7 2 4 5 5 3
White 1,304 1,235 1,325 1,313 1,353 1,354 1,397
More than one race 11 24 16 18 12 12 24
Unknown ethnicity and race 544 578 615 564 575 575 349
Temporary visa holders 4,332 4,152 4,365 4,400 4,503 4,515 5,135
Aerospace engineering 212 202 170 202 220 220 217
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 69 62 64 78 81 81 70
Hispanic or Latino 2 1 1 1 3 3 4
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Asian 17 13 20 21 22 22 14
Black or African American 2 1 1 0 4 4 2
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 34 25 32 40 43 43 42
More than one race 0 0 2 1 1 1 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 14 22 8 15 7 7 7
Temporary visa holders 143 140 106 124 139 139 147
Agricultural engineering 119 129 133 152 146 150 221
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 37 45 46 51 51 51 80
Hispanic or Latino 4 1 2 0 3 3 2
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Asian 17 17 14 21 16 16 15
Black or African American 3 4 3 3 3 3 3
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 2 1 1 0 0 0
White 13 19 23 22 23 23 38
More than one race 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 0 2 1 4 6 6 22
Temporary visa holders 82 84 87 101 95 99 141
Architecture 10 16 6 17 14 14 17
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 5 7 3 8 5 5 10
Hispanic or Latino 0 0 0 1 1 1 2
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
Black or African American 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 2 4 2 6 3 3 6
More than one race 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 2 0 1 1 0 0 2
Temporary visa holders 5 9 3 9 9 9 7
Biomedical engineering 1,023 1,069 1,161 1,103 1,196 1,198 1,201
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 471 523 531 519 572 572 550
Hispanic or Latino 15 20 20 23 28 28 22
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 1 2 0 1 2 2 2
Asian 123 149 134 130 152 152 134
Black or African American 27 23 21 17 20 20 23
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1 1 0 1 2 2 0
White 223 251 279 260 301 301 312
More than one race 1 0 0 0 1 1 5
Unknown ethnicity and race 80 77 77 87 66 66 52
Temporary visa holders 552 546 630 584 624 626 651
Chemical engineering 1,077 1,137 1,098 1,230 1,244 1,244 1,283
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 380 404 388 440 457 457 420
Hispanic or Latino 13 18 23 25 25 25 24
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Asian 95 96 88 117 114 114 98
Black or African American 7 10 8 8 10 10 6
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 3 0 0 0 0 0
White 212 230 216 232 244 244 223
More than one race 0 6 4 5 1 1 4
Unknown ethnicity and race 51 41 49 53 63 63 62
Temporary visa holders 697 733 710 790 787 787 863
Civil engineering 571 551 590 587 629 629 670
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 242 223 236 263 251 251 269
Hispanic or Latino 8 8 17 9 9 9 8
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 45 28 42 58 43 43 53
Black or African American 3 3 3 3 7 7 8
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
White 115 105 105 140 144 144 158
More than one race 2 4 1 3 2 2 3
Unknown ethnicity and race 67 74 68 50 45 45 37
Temporary visa holders 329 328 354 324 378 378 401
Electrical engineering 1,095 1,035 1,152 1,180 1,177 1,179 1,160
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 399 369 450 433 431 432 287
Hispanic or Latino 4 9 14 14 11 11 13
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
Asian 92 79 86 80 81 81 65
Black or African American 8 11 13 9 12 12 5
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 0 0 0 1 1 1
White 164 154 173 174 159 160 162
More than one race 1 3 0 3 1 1 2
Unknown ethnicity and race 127 113 164 152 166 166 39
Temporary visa holders 696 666 702 747 746 747 873
Engineering science, mechanics, and physics 236 281 292 240 270 270 251
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 94 109 113 73 109 109 85
Hispanic or Latino 3 7 4 1 1 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 20 14 13 16 14 14 17
Black or African American 2 0 1 1 0 0 1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 66 65 67 51 62 62 60
More than one race 1 1 2 1 1 1 2
Unknown ethnicity and race 2 22 26 3 31 31 4
Temporary visa holders 142 172 179 167 161 161 166
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 151 121 127 133 131 131 142
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 72 56 64 62 49 49 51
Hispanic or Latino 1 3 2 3 5 5 5
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 11 6 8 16 8 8 9
Black or African American 4 3 2 1 4 4 6
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 46 34 36 29 21 21 25
More than one race 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 8 10 16 13 11 11 6
Temporary visa holders 79 65 63 71 82 82 91
Mechanical engineering 1,021 889 985 1,034 1,055 1,058 1,161
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 350 324 338 373 391 391 358
Hispanic or Latino 8 11 10 21 16 16 11
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Asian 96 75 67 93 85 85 78
Black or African American 5 5 6 7 18 18 9
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 163 135 162 173 190 190 201
More than one race 0 4 2 2 1 1 4
Unknown ethnicity and race 78 94 91 77 81 81 53
Temporary visa holders 671 565 647 661 664 667 803
Metallurgical and materials engineering 841 860 854 809 776 780 911
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 301 306 290 278 232 234 207
Hispanic or Latino 6 17 13 12 9 9 11
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 1 2 1 0 0 0
Asian 73 73 75 63 56 58 47
Black or African American 3 10 6 8 20 20 6
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
White 148 136 126 117 93 93 101
More than one race 4 5 2 1 1 1 3
Unknown ethnicity and race 65 64 66 75 53 53 39
Temporary visa holders 540 554 564 531 544 546 704
Mining engineering 4 4 5 7 15 15 15
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 1 2 2 4 5 5 4
Hispanic or Latino 0 0 2 2 1 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Black or African American 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 1 2 0 2 3 3 2
More than one race 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Temporary visa holders 3 2 3 3 10 10 11
Nuclear engineering 107 111 120 105 112 112 107
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 55 48 49 32 43 43 32
Hispanic or Latino 0 1 1 1 1 1 0
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 6 8 7 1 5 5 8
Black or African American 1 3 2 0 0 0 1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
White 30 21 23 20 20 20 18
More than one race 1 0 1 1 1 1 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 17 14 15 9 16 16 5
Temporary visa holders 52 63 71 73 69 69 75
Petroleum engineering 44 35 53 49 66 66 73
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 12 10 8 6 21 21 12
Hispanic or Latino 1 3 1 0 1 1 0
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 4 3 4 2 5 5 5
Black or African American 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
White 4 2 2 3 9 9 7
More than one race 0 1 1 1 1 1 0
Unknown ethnicity and race 3 1 0 0 5 5 0
Temporary visa holders 32 25 45 43 45 45 61
Engineering nec 458 346 357 258 241 241 227
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 149 146 156 86 91 91 86
Hispanic or Latino 4 3 2 3 2 2 4
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian 27 43 36 10 12 12 6
Black or African American 5 4 5 3 12 12 12
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0 1 1 1 1 0
White 83 52 79 44 38 38 42
More than one race 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race 30 44 33 25 25 25 21
Temporary visa holders 309 200 201 172 150 150 141
Health 19,119 18,518 19,010 18,547 18,903 18,970 18,566
U.S. citizens and permanent residentsc 9,725 9,372 9,650 9,289 9,612 9,642 9,133
Hispanic or Latino 463 458 489 529 523 523 501
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native 35 24 34 50 33 33 29
Asian 2,352 2,136 2,037 1,914 1,926 1,941 1,809
Black or African American 416 432 489 465 507 507 420
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 41 32 36 27 24 24 50
White 5,276 5,321 5,445 5,395 5,440 5,454 5,160
More than one race 62 60 74 98 87 88 126
Unknown ethnicity and race 1,080 909 1,046 811 1,072 1,072 1,038
Temporary visa holders 9,394 9,146 9,360 9,258 9,291 9,328 9,433
nec = not elsewhere classified.
a Postdoctoral appointee (postdoc) data from 2010 and 2011 were reimputed following the 2012 data collection; these data supersede those contained in previous reports.
b In 2014, the survey frame was updated following a comprehensive frame evaluation study. The study identified potentially eligible but not previously surveyed academic institutions in the United States with master's- or doctorate-granting programs in science, engineering, or health. A total of 151 newly eligible institutions were added, and two private for-profit institutions offering mostly practitioner-based graduate degrees were determined to be ineligible.
c Ethnicity and race data are available only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
NOTE: "Field" refers to the field of the unit that reports postdocs to the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.