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Table 34. Postdoctoral appointees in science, engineering, and health in all institutions, by field, citizenship, ethnicity, and race: 2009–14

Field, citizenship, ethnicity, and race 2009 2010a,b 2011b 2012 2013 2014oldc 2014newc
All surveyed fields 57,805 63,439 62,639 62,851 61,942 62,379 63,593
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 27,105 30,155 29,712 29,864 29,546 29,630 30,095
Hispanic or Latino na 1,276 1,359 1,351 1,490 1,501 1,543
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 97 90 85 121 96 98
Asian na 5,944 5,638 5,367 5,440 5,300 5,430
Black or African American na 980 1,042 1,104 1,132 1,197 1,209
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 94 85 99 77 76 77
White na 17,256 17,286 17,280 17,348 17,179 17,448
More than one race na 143 221 186 263 249 256
Unknown ethnicity and race na 4,365 3,991 4,392 3,675 4,032 4,034
Temporary visa holders 30,700 33,284 32,927 32,987 32,396 32,749 33,498
Science and engineering 40,804 44,320 44,121 43,841 43,395 43,476 44,623
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 18,175 20,430 20,340 20,214 20,257 20,018 20,453
Hispanic or Latino na 813 901 862 961 978 1,020
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 62 66 51 71 63 65
Asian na 3,592 3,502 3,330 3,526 3,374 3,489
Black or African American na 564 610 615 667 690 702
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 53 53 63 50 52 53
White na 11,980 11,965 11,835 11,953 11,739 11,994
More than one race na 81 161 112 165 162 168
Unknown ethnicity and race na 3,285 3,082 3,346 2,864 2,960 2,962
Temporary visa holders 22,629 23,890 23,781 23,627 23,138 23,458 24,170
Science 34,388 37,351 37,335 36,738 36,289 36,184 37,316
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 15,800 17,793 17,706 17,476 17,551 17,229 17,661
Hispanic or Latino na 744 799 750 845 862 904
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 58 62 48 68 60 62
Asian na 2,966 2,895 2,736 2,898 2,760 2,873
Black or African American na 493 533 544 607 579 591
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 45 46 61 46 47 48
White na 10,676 10,730 10,510 10,640 10,386 10,640
More than one race na 70 137 96 147 150 156
Unknown ethnicity and race na 2,741 2,504 2,731 2,300 2,385 2,387
Temporary visa holders 18,588 19,558 19,629 19,262 18,738 18,955 19,655
Agricultural sciences 1,083 1,190 1,256 1,290 1,319 1,395 1,402
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 573 609 655 715 737 725 729
Hispanic or Latino na 24 32 31 34 37 37
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 4 5 2 0 2 2
Asian na 116 108 121 125 111 111
Black or African American na 22 22 21 21 27 27
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 1 4 3 1 1
White na 387 389 426 428 418 422
More than one race na 0 2 4 9 6 6
Unknown ethnicity and race na 56 96 106 117 123 123
Temporary visa holders 510 581 601 575 582 670 673
Biological sciences 20,159 21,726 21,107 20,086 19,330 18,749 19,554
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 9,148 10,283 9,877 9,194 8,984 8,658 8,958
Hispanic or Latino na 473 461 413 467 463 497
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 27 33 23 41 29 31
Asian na 1,987 1,863 1,664 1,689 1,609 1,686
Black or African American na 312 303 315 332 290 300
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 30 32 36 23 37 38
White na 5,901 5,742 5,304 5,213 4,985 5,157
More than one race na 44 60 49 58 60 64
Unknown ethnicity and race na 1,509 1,383 1,390 1,161 1,185 1,185
Temporary visa holders 11,011 11,443 11,230 10,892 10,346 10,091 10,596
Communication 38 62 67 58 76 75 75
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 28 38 38 32 45 40 40
Hispanic or Latino na 2 2 1 2 4 4
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 1 4 1 2 5 5
Black or African American na 2 2 1 2 2 2
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 26 19 16 25 16 16
More than one race na 0 1 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race na 7 10 13 14 13 13
Temporary visa holders 10 24 29 26 31 35 35
Computer sciences 594 763 759 760 765 833 834
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 272 308 312 297 302 320 320
Hispanic or Latino na 8 12 14 17 17 17
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 2 1 0 1 2 2
Asian na 58 60 60 68 65 65
Black or African American na 5 10 11 17 14 14
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 2 0 0 0 0
White na 185 179 151 153 177 177
More than one race na 0 3 1 2 4 4
Unknown ethnicity and race na 50 45 60 44 41 41
Temporary visa holders 322 455 447 463 463 513 514
Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 1,424 1,740 1,774 1,956 2,032 2,059 2,061
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 714 953 987 1,069 1,144 1,154 1,156
Hispanic or Latino na 28 37 41 42 47 47
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 7 3 3 2 5 5
Asian na 76 120 119 123 129 129
Black or African American na 9 11 15 17 17 18
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 1 1 3 1 1
White na 648 678 737 800 815 816
More than one race na 4 22 12 24 19 19
Unknown ethnicity and race na 181 115 141 133 121 121
Temporary visa holders 710 787 787 887 888 905 905
Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 22 30 52 58 90 93 114
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 15 23 41 43 69 77 84
Hispanic or Latino na 0 1 2 2 3 4
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 1 0 0 0
Asian na 3 2 3 14 15 17
Black or African American na 2 4 3 8 5 6
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 18 30 34 40 48 51
More than one race na 0 0 0 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 0 4 0 4 5 5
Temporary visa holders 7 7 11 15 21 16 30
Mathematics and statistics 737 791 830 902 932 956 959
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 383 415 419 456 488 432 433
Hispanic or Latino na 11 17 18 18 19 19
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 1 0 0 0 5 5
Asian na 32 38 36 52 42 42
Black or African American na 4 10 6 10 10 10
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 1 1 1 1
White na 288 273 288 305 278 279
More than one race na 3 4 5 8 4 4
Unknown ethnicity and race na 76 77 102 94 73 73
Temporary visa holders 354 376 411 446 444 524 526
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies 459 785 704 742 891 1,045 1,045
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 237 459 390 427 504 566 566
Hispanic or Latino na 17 15 19 20 24 24
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 4 1 1 6 6
Asian na 45 43 52 75 73 73
Black or African American na 7 20 17 17 14 14
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 3 2 2 2
White na 287 269 291 339 380 380
More than one race na 2 0 5 5 5 5
Unknown ethnicity and race na 101 39 39 45 62 62
Temporary visa holders 222 326 314 315 387 479 479
Neurobiology and neuroscience 645 838 1,398 1,525 1,696 1,778 1,878
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 339 392 691 737 832 894 938
Hispanic or Latino na 15 34 22 52 43 47
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 3 1 1 3 1 1
Asian na 64 80 96 138 133 145
Black or African American na 14 13 14 13 24 24
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 1 3 1 1 1 1
White na 224 400 438 475 516 542
More than one race na 3 3 2 8 9 11
Unknown ethnicity and race na 68 157 163 142 167 167
Temporary visa holders 306 446 707 788 864 884 940
Physical sciences 7,447 7,583 7,490 7,430 7,197 7,089 7,277
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 2,834 3,011 2,964 3,109 3,016 2,889 2,958
Hispanic or Latino na 99 106 116 111 110 113
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 11 7 12 14 5 5
Asian na 486 483 483 489 444 465
Black or African American na 59 84 78 86 98 98
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 12 6 8 8 2 2
White na 1,850 1,860 1,883 1,894 1,769 1,814
More than one race na 7 36 13 23 29 29
Unknown ethnicity and race na 487 382 516 391 432 432
Temporary visa holders 4,613 4,572 4,526 4,321 4,181 4,200 4,319
Psychology 1,219 1,132 1,124 1,132 1,023 1,062 1,066
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 892 813 795 843 785 761 765
Hispanic or Latino na 39 36 42 30 39 39
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 1 1 0 1 1 1
Asian na 53 52 47 58 54 54
Black or African American na 25 20 28 34 25 25
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 2 1 1 1 0 0
White na 554 575 629 592 558 560
More than one race na 4 1 2 5 5 5
Unknown ethnicity and race na 135 109 94 64 79 81
Temporary visa holders 327 319 329 289 238 301 301
Social sciences 561 711 774 799 938 1,050 1,051
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 365 489 537 554 645 713 714
Hispanic or Latino na 28 46 31 50 56 56
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 2 7 5 5 4 4
Asian na 45 42 54 65 80 81
Black or African American na 32 34 35 50 53 53
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 6 4 2 2
White na 308 316 313 376 426 426
More than one race na 3 5 3 4 8 8
Unknown ethnicity and race na 71 87 107 91 84 84
Temporary visa holders 196 222 237 245 293 337 337
Engineering 6,416 6,969 6,786 7,103 7,106 7,292 7,307
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 2,375 2,637 2,634 2,738 2,706 2,789 2,792
Hispanic or Latino na 69 102 112 116 116 116
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 4 4 3 3 3 3
Asian na 626 607 594 628 614 616
Black or African American na 71 77 71 60 111 111
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 8 7 2 4 5 5
White na 1,304 1,235 1,325 1,313 1,353 1,354
More than one race na 11 24 16 18 12 12
Unknown ethnicity and race na 544 578 615 564 575 575
Temporary visa holders 4,041 4,332 4,152 4,365 4,400 4,503 4,515
Aerospace engineering 168 212 202 170 202 220 220
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 69 69 62 64 78 81 81
Hispanic or Latino na 2 1 1 1 3 3
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 1 1
Asian na 17 13 20 21 22 22
Black or African American na 2 1 1 0 4 4
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 34 25 32 40 43 43
More than one race na 0 0 2 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 14 22 8 15 7 7
Temporary visa holders 99 143 140 106 124 139 139
Agricultural engineering 110 119 129 133 152 146 150
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 32 37 45 46 51 51 51
Hispanic or Latino na 4 1 2 0 3 3
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 1 0 0 0
Asian na 17 17 14 21 16 16
Black or African American na 3 4 3 3 3 3
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 2 1 1 0 0
White na 13 19 23 22 23 23
More than one race na 0 0 1 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race na 0 2 1 4 6 6
Temporary visa holders 78 82 84 87 101 95 99
Architecture 22 10 16 6 17 14 14
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 13 5 7 3 8 5 5
Hispanic or Latino na 0 0 0 1 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 0 3 0 0 0 0
Black or African American na 1 0 0 0 1 1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 2 4 2 6 3 3
More than one race na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race na 2 0 1 1 0 0
Temporary visa holders 9 5 9 3 9 9 9
Biomedical engineering 960 1,023 1,069 1,161 1,103 1,196 1,198
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 451 471 523 531 519 572 572
Hispanic or Latino na 15 20 20 23 28 28
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 1 2 0 1 2 2
Asian na 123 149 134 130 152 152
Black or African American na 27 23 21 17 20 20
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 1 1 0 1 2 2
White na 223 251 279 260 301 301
More than one race na 1 0 0 0 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 80 77 77 87 66 66
Temporary visa holders 509 552 546 630 584 624 626
Chemical engineering 1,084 1,077 1,137 1,098 1,230 1,244 1,244
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 408 380 404 388 440 457 457
Hispanic or Latino na 13 18 23 25 25 25
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 95 96 88 117 114 114
Black or African American na 7 10 8 8 10 10
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 2 3 0 0 0 0
White na 212 230 216 232 244 244
More than one race na 0 6 4 5 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 51 41 49 53 63 63
Temporary visa holders 676 697 733 710 790 787 787
Civil engineering 535 571 551 590 587 629 629
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 212 242 223 236 263 251 251
Hispanic or Latino na 8 8 17 9 9 9
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 2 1 0 0 0 0
Asian na 45 28 42 58 43 43
Black or African American na 3 3 3 3 7 7
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 1 1
White na 115 105 105 140 144 144
More than one race na 2 4 1 3 2 2
Unknown ethnicity and race na 67 74 68 50 45 45
Temporary visa holders 323 329 328 354 324 378 378
Electrical engineering 1,025 1,095 1,035 1,152 1,180 1,177 1,179
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 323 399 369 450 433 431 432
Hispanic or Latino na 4 9 14 14 11 11
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 1 0 0 1 0 0
Asian na 92 79 86 80 81 81
Black or African American na 8 11 13 9 12 12
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 2 0 0 0 1 1
White na 164 154 173 174 159 160
More than one race na 1 3 0 3 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 127 113 164 152 166 166
Temporary visa holders 702 696 666 702 747 746 747
Engineering science, mechanics, and physics 226 236 281 292 240 270 270
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 112 94 109 113 73 109 109
Hispanic or Latino na 3 7 4 1 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 20 14 13 16 14 14
Black or African American na 2 0 1 1 0 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 66 65 67 51 62 62
More than one race na 1 1 2 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 2 22 26 3 31 31
Temporary visa holders 114 142 172 179 167 161 161
Industrial and manufacturing engineering 109 151 121 127 133 131 131
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 50 72 56 64 62 49 49
Hispanic or Latino na 1 3 2 3 5 5
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 11 6 8 16 8 8
Black or African American na 4 3 2 1 4 4
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 1 0 0 0 0 0
White na 46 34 36 29 21 21
More than one race na 1 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race na 8 10 16 13 11 11
Temporary visa holders 59 79 65 63 71 82 82
Mechanical engineering 948 1,021 889 985 1,034 1,055 1,058
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 281 350 324 338 373 391 391
Hispanic or Latino na 8 11 10 21 16 16
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 96 75 67 93 85 85
Black or African American na 5 5 6 7 18 18
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 163 135 162 173 190 190
More than one race na 0 4 2 2 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 78 94 91 77 81 81
Temporary visa holders 667 671 565 647 661 664 667
Metallurgical and materials engineering 758 841 860 854 809 776 780
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 243 301 306 290 278 232 234
Hispanic or Latino na 6 17 13 12 9 9
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 1 2 1 0 0
Asian na 73 73 75 63 56 58
Black or African American na 3 10 6 8 20 20
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 2 0 0 1 0 0
White na 148 136 126 117 93 93
More than one race na 4 5 2 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 65 64 66 75 53 53
Temporary visa holders 515 540 554 564 531 544 546
Mining engineering 4 4 4 5 7 15 15
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 1 1 2 2 4 5 5
Hispanic or Latino na 0 0 2 2 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 0 0 0 0 1 1
Black or African American na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 1 2 0 2 3 3
More than one race na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown ethnicity and race na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Temporary visa holders 3 3 2 3 3 10 10
Nuclear engineering 90 107 111 120 105 112 112
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 35 55 48 49 32 43 43
Hispanic or Latino na 0 1 1 1 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 6 8 7 1 5 5
Black or African American na 1 3 2 0 0 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 1 0 0 0 0
White na 30 21 23 20 20 20
More than one race na 1 0 1 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 17 14 15 9 16 16
Temporary visa holders 55 52 63 71 73 69 69
Petroleum engineering 36 44 35 53 49 66 66
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 12 12 10 8 6 21 21
Hispanic or Latino na 1 3 1 0 1 1
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 4 3 4 2 5 5
Black or African American na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 0 0 0 0
White na 4 2 2 3 9 9
More than one race na 0 1 1 1 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 3 1 0 0 5 5
Temporary visa holders 24 32 25 45 43 45 45
Engineering nec 341 458 346 357 258 241 241
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 133 149 146 156 86 91 91
Hispanic or Latino na 4 3 2 3 2 2
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 0 0 0 0 0 0
Asian na 27 43 36 10 12 12
Black or African American na 5 4 5 3 12 12
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 0 0 1 1 1 1
White na 83 52 79 44 38 38
More than one race na 0 0 0 0 1 1
Unknown ethnicity and race na 30 44 33 25 25 25
Temporary visa holders 208 309 200 201 172 150 150
Health 17,001 19,119 18,518 19,010 18,547 18,903 18,970
U.S. citizens and permanent residents 8,930 9,725 9,372 9,650 9,289 9,612 9,642
Hispanic or Latino na 463 458 489 529 523 523
Not Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native na 35 24 34 50 33 33
Asian na 2,352 2,136 2,037 1,914 1,926 1,941
Black or African American na 416 432 489 465 507 507
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander na 41 32 36 27 24 24
White na 5,276 5,321 5,445 5,395 5,440 5,454
More than one race na 62 60 74 98 87 88
Unknown ethnicity and race na 1,080 909 1,046 811 1,072 1,072
Temporary visa holders 8,071 9,394 9,146 9,360 9,258 9,291 9,328
nec = not elsewhere classified.
a In 2010, the postdoc section of the survey was expanded, and significant effort was made to ensure that appropriate personnel were providing postdoc data (see appendix A for more information). Thus, it is unclear how much of the increases in 2010 and later years over 2009 and prior years are from growth in postdoctoral appointments and how much are from improved data collection. More information on the changes to the postdoc data collection is available at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13334/.
b Postdoc data from 2010 and 2011 were reimputed following the 2012 data collection; these data supersede those contained in previous reports.
c 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.
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, 2014.