A majority of U.S. students aren’t proficient in science and math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, though there have been gains. Some experts worry that U.S. students are falling behind students in other developed nations.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, roughly the same percentage of students who intend to major in a science and engineering (S&E) field end up graduating in one. Likewise, racial and ethnic minorities attain college degrees in S&E fields at roughly the same rate as they attain degrees in all fields.
As students graduate and get jobs, many leave the STEM path. Compared with the total U.S. working-age population, women, blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in S&E jobs.
*Average scores for 15-year-olds taking the PISA test. Scores range from 1 to 1,000.
Gender
Race / Ethnicity
F
M
49% of female STEM college students say they chose their field because of a desire to make a difference, compared with 34% of male STEM students.
S&E
31%
69%
Non S&E Fields
for all U.S. employees:$33,840
for S&E employees:$75,820
Only about half of all employees with their highest degree in S&E work in S&E or a related field.
Gender
Race / Ethnicity
S&E Jobs
4.6%
95.4%
Non S&E Jobs