This indicator represents the extent to which a state’s workforce is employed in S&E occupations. A high value indicates that a state’s economy has a high concentration of scientific and technical jobs relative to its total workforce. Policymakers and scholars consistently emphasize innovation based on S&E research and development as a vehicle for economic growth and competitiveness. In the increasingly interconnected 21st-century world, workers with S&E expertise are integral to a nation’s innovative capacity because of their high skill level, their creative ideas, and their ability not only to advance basic scientific knowledge but also to transform advances in fundamental knowledge into tangible and useful products and services.

U.S. federal occupation data classify workers by the activities or tasks they primarily perform in their jobs. This information is used to classify jobs into standard occupational categories. S&E occupations typically require a bachelor’s degree for entry and are broadly composed of workers who are computer and mathematical scientists; biological, agricultural, and environmental life scientists; physical scientists; social scientists; and engineers. S&E managers; technicians; elementary, secondary, and postsecondary teachers; and medical personnel are not included.

Data on individuals in S&E occupations and all occupations come from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample size of about 3.5 million addresses. The ACS collects information on an annual basis.

Data source: Census Bureau, special tabulations of the American Community Survey.