2016 STEM Index – Good News & Bad News

Recently U.S. News & Raytheon released the 2016 STEM Index – a measure of science, technology, engineering and mathematics activity in the United States relative to the year 2000.

It was a mixed report with some metrics gaining ground while others remained stagnant or even lost ground relative to the prior year’s STEM Index.  You can view the entire report here and below are items that piqued my interest… 

Good News

  • STEM jobs increased much faster than overall employment: 28% since 2000 compared to 6% for all jobs.
  • Hispanic students earned more STEM degrees at every level compared to the prior year’s Index.
  • Both Black and Hispanic students expressed greater interest in engineering and technology.
  • The number of white students who earned STEM degrees grew 15% in the last five years.

Bad News

  • The number of science and engineering graduates holding U.S. passports and green cards declined by 2.3% from 2009 to 2014.
  • The number of black students who earned STEM degrees fell by roughly 15%.
  • Across the board, men expressed more interest than women in STEM subjects, with dramatic differences in engineering.
  • The Advanced Placement (AP) Sub-Index declined by nearly 3 points.

Obviously we still have much work left to do in order to boost the number and diversity of STEM workers in the United States. I am proud that, at Couragion, we are doing our part to help move the needle!

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