Table 4-3. Labor force participation rate among U.S. residing doctoral scientists and engineers, by fine field of doctorate: 2017
| Field of study |
Labor force participation rate |
| Percent |
SE |
| All fields |
86.0 |
0.15 |
| Science |
84.9 |
0.20 |
| Biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences |
85.9 |
0.35 |
| Agricultural and food sciences |
79.7 |
1.20 |
| Agricultural sciences |
71.0 |
4.00 |
| Animal sciences |
85.7 |
2.00 |
| Food sciences and technology |
85.1 |
3.00 |
| Plant sciences |
75.3 |
1.85 |
| Soil sciences |
75.9 |
4.35 |
| Biochemistry and biophysics |
84.1 |
0.95 |
| Biochemistry |
83.1 |
1.15 |
| Biophysics |
88.9 |
1.85 |
| Cell, cellular biology, and molecular biology |
91.0 |
0.75 |
| Microbiological sciences and immunology |
87.6 |
1.00 |
| Immunology |
89.3 |
1.60 |
| Microbiological sciences |
86.6 |
1.45 |
| Natural resources and conservation |
80.5 |
1.90 |
| Fish, fisheries, wildlife and wildlands science and management |
80.4 |
4.05 |
| Forestry |
76.1 |
3.30 |
| Natural resource conservation, research, management, and policy |
84.0 |
2.25 |
| Zoology |
73.3 |
1.85 |
| Other biological sciences |
87.4 |
0.50 |
| Biomathematics, bioinformatics, and computational biology |
94.4 |
0.95 |
| Botany and plant biology |
75.4 |
1.85 |
| Epidemiology, ecology, and population biology |
87.6 |
1.25 |
| Genetics |
91.0 |
1.75 |
| Neurobiology and neuroscience |
96.4 |
0.70 |
| Nutrition sciences |
85.6 |
2.40 |
| Pharmacology and toxicology |
88.4 |
1.20 |
| Physiology, pathology, and related sciences |
84.4 |
1.25 |
| Biological and biomedical sciences, general |
86.2 |
1.60 |
| Biological and biomedical sciences, other |
80.4 |
2.55 |
| Computer and information sciences |
93.0 |
0.70 |
| Computer science |
93.6 |
0.70 |
| Information science, studies |
84.1 |
3.10 |
| Computer and information sciences, other |
97.2 |
0.75 |
| Mathematics and statistics |
84.2 |
0.75 |
| Applied mathematics |
92.0 |
1.60 |
| Mathematics |
78.7 |
1.10 |
| Statistics |
88.6 |
1.95 |
| Mathematics and statistics, other |
87.8 |
2.00 |
| Physical sciences, geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences |
83.9 |
0.40 |
| Astronomy and astrophysics |
88.4 |
1.30 |
| Chemistry, except biochemistry |
82.7 |
0.55 |
| Inorganic chemistry |
84.7 |
1.55 |
| Organic chemistry |
77.5 |
1.35 |
| Chemistry, other, except biochemistry |
84.9 |
0.65 |
| Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences |
85.6 |
0.70 |
| Atmospheric sciences and meteorology |
90.0 |
1.05 |
| Geological and earth sciences, geosciences |
84.1 |
1.00 |
| Ocean sciences and marine sciences |
90.2 |
1.55 |
| Oceanography, chemical and physical |
84.0 |
2.60 |
| Physics |
84.2 |
0.75 |
| Psychology |
84.2 |
0.45 |
| Clinical psychology |
88.4 |
0.85 |
| Counseling and applied psychology |
90.2 |
1.10 |
| Educational and school psychology |
76.1 |
1.35 |
| Industrial and organizational psychology |
88.0 |
2.05 |
| Research and experimental psychology |
80.4 |
0.80 |
| Psychology, general |
82.4 |
2.25 |
| Psychology, other |
79.3 |
2.30 |
| Social sciences |
83.1 |
0.45 |
| Economics |
83.9 |
0.80 |
| Political science and government |
84.0 |
1.30 |
| Political science and government |
83.0 |
1.50 |
| Public policy analysis |
88.3 |
1.95 |
| Sociology, demography, and population studies |
79.0 |
1.30 |
| Other social sciences |
84.0 |
0.75 |
| Anthropology |
85.1 |
1.35 |
| Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies |
87.1 |
2.10 |
| Geography and cartography |
83.1 |
2.15 |
| International relations and national security studies |
80.0 |
3.55 |
| Linguistics |
84.6 |
2.35 |
| Urban studies, affairs |
75.4 |
3.55 |
| Social sciences, other |
84.0 |
1.35 |
| Engineering |
90.1 |
0.35 |
| Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering |
89.9 |
1.50 |
| Chemical engineering |
88.3 |
0.95 |
| Civil engineering |
90.8 |
0.90 |
| Electrical and computer engineering |
91.8 |
0.65 |
| Computer engineering |
94.4 |
0.95 |
| Electrical, electronics, and communications engineering |
91.4 |
0.70 |
| Mechanical engineering |
91.0 |
0.90 |
| Metallurgical and materials engineering |
88.7 |
1.05 |
| Other engineering |
88.7 |
0.65 |
| Agricultural engineering |
82.8 |
3.85 |
| Bioengineering and biomedical engineering |
94.9 |
0.90 |
| Engineering mechanics, physics, and science |
79.6 |
2.50 |
| Industrial and manufacturing engineering |
89.3 |
1.25 |
| Nuclear engineering |
82.8 |
2.75 |
| Engineering, other |
88.2 |
1.35 |
| Health |
87.8 |
0.75 |
| Communication disorders sciences and services |
84.6 |
2.70 |
| Hospital and medical administration services |
77.9 |
4.40 |
| Pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and administration |
91.7 |
1.60 |
| Public health |
90.2 |
1.45 |
| Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research |
83.9 |
1.95 |
| Health sciences, other |
90.2 |
1.20 |
