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National STEM Day: November 8, 2023

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National STEM Day: November 8, 2023

November 08, 2023

Press Release Number CB23-SFS.159

From Census.gov / America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers / Who Are the STEM Workers Under Age 25? (November 08, 2022):

Technician Is a Common Job Among Young STEM Workers

Jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) often require a bachelor’s degree or higher, leaving few STEM opportunities for workers younger than 25 who shape the nation’s future workforce.

As a result, in 2021 workers between ages 16 and 24 made up 12.7% of total employment across all occupations but only 6.8% of all STEM workers (just under 800,000) in the United States.

While less common, STEM opportunities for young workers without a college degree exist – mostly technician occupations – and are needed to meet future demand.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in STEM occupations is projected to grow at twice the rate (10.8%) of overall employment (5.3%) through 2031.

National STEM/STEAM Day is celebrated every year on November 8 to encourage kids to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, arts and math careers. And nationwide efforts are underway to attract and train young workers through registered apprenticeship programs.

Key Stats

Source: 2021 and 2022 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-year estimates

Table B24010, Sex by Occupation for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over

Table B24124, Detailed Occupation for the Full-Time, Year-Round Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over

Table S1502: Field of Bachelor's Degree for First Major

Table 1. STEM and STEM-Related Occupations by Age Groups: 2021 [<1.0 MB]

Note: The table above is condensed to hide all margin of error columns and all rows under each occupational category. Click on the image for the full table.

More Stats

From Business and Economy / Surveys and Programs the following tables have data (newest to oldest) for sector NAICS 541: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

Table BDSEAGE, Business Dynamics Statistics: Establishment Age: 1978-2021

Table CB2100CBP, All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2021

Table AB2000CSA01, Annual Business Survey: Statistics for Employer Firms by Industry, Sex, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S., States, and Metro Areas: 2020

Table NS2000NONEMP, All Sectors: Nonemployer Statistics by Legal Form of Organization and Receipts Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2020

Table EC1700BASIC, All Sectors: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2017

Table IA1700BASIC01, Island Areas: Geographic Area Series: Summary Statistics for American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands: 2017

Source: Business & Industry > Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)

Experimental Data Product: Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO)

Note: Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes is a new set of statistics on the earnings outcomes and employment flows of graduates of select post-secondary institutions in the United States. These statistics are generated by matching university transcript data with a national database of jobs.

From the Library

America Counts Story: Who Are the STEM Workers Under Age 25? (November 08, 2022)

America Counts Story: Does Majoring in STEM Lead to a STEM Job After Graduation? (June 2, 2021)

Census Interactive Gallery: From College to Jobs: Pathways in STEM (May 28, 2021)

America Counts Story: Women Making Gains in STEM Occupations but Still Underrepresented (January 26, 2021)

From Newsroom / Stats for Stories (SFS)

Earth Science Week: October 8-14, 2023

National Manufacturing Day; Week: October 6; October 6-13, 2023

National Energy Awareness Month: October 2023

National Aviation Day: August 19, 2023

Earth Day: April 22, 2023

Pi Day: March 14, 2023

National Inventors’ Day: February 11, 2023

National Weatherperson's Day: February 5, 2023

From Our Surveys & Programs / Statistics in School (SIS): Classrooms Powered by Census Data

News Article: Graduating and Working in STEM (Revised October 2021)

Visualization: Men and Women Working in STEM (Revised October 2021)

From Census.gov / History

Philo Farnsworth and the Invention of Television (September 2023)

Video Games, 50th anniversary of Pong, (November 2022)

America's First Subway (September 2022)

The Oil Industry (August 2021)

Alexander Graham Bell (March 2021)

The Manhattan Project (July 2020)

1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption (May 2020)

Apollo 11 and the First Man on the Moon (July 2019)

Albert Einstein (March 2019)

The Wright Brothers (December 2018)

USS Nautilus (August 2018)

1893 Chicago World's Fair (May 2018)

Thomas Edison (November 2017)

Percival L. Lowell (November 2016)

Herman Hollerith and Mechanical Tabulation (January 2016)

Outside Links

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections, Data, Employment in STEM occupations (table below)

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics, Publications by Topic, STEM (definition)

Department of Energy: DOE STEM

NASA: About NASA STEM Engagement

National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)

U.S. Department of Education: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, including Computer Science

WalletHub, Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals (January 2023)

Table 1.11 Employment in STEM occupations, 2022 and projected 2032

Note: The table above is cropped at the top and bottom. Click on the image for the full table with other formats and footnotes.

Page Last Revised - November 13, 2023

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