Table E-46-3. Percentage distribution of young adults ages 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher degree who have a bachelor's degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field, are in the labor force, and are employed, by occupation type, sex, race/ethnicity, nativity, and citizenship status: 2010

NCES 2012-046
August 2012

Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study

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Table E-46-3. Percentage distribution of young adults ages 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher degree who have a bachelor's degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field, are in the labor force, and are employed, by occupation type, sex, race/ethnicity, nativity, and citizenship status: 2010

Sex, race/ethnicity, nativity, and citizenship status	Total	Science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) occupation													Non-STEM occupation
Sex, race/ethnicity, nativity, and citizenship status	Total	Total	Computer scientists		Engineers/ architects		Scientists		Medical professionals		Health professionals		Agriculture and forestry workers		Total	Business workers/ managers		Educators		Legal professionals		Human/ protective services workers		Military personnel		Other
Total¹	100.0	55.7	14.1		11.4		5.4		23.1		1.3		0.4		44.3	17.5		7.8		1.0		1.6		0.4		15.9
Sex
Male	100.0	53.0	19.8		16.3		5.1		10.7		0.6		0.5		47.0	20.3		6.7		1.1		1.5		0.6		16.8
Female	100.0	59.0	7.0		5.2		5.7		38.6		2.3		0.2		41.0	14.1		9.2		0.9		1.7		0.2	!	14.9

Race/ethnicity
White	100.0	55.4	10.2		12.2		5.9		25.4		1.3		0.4		44.6	18.0		8.0		1.2		1.7		0.5		15.3
Black	100.0	48.1	11.0		7.0		3.7		23.0		3.0		0.3	!	51.9	19.1		7.7		0.7		3.4		0.8	!	20.2
Hispanic	100.0	43.6	9.4		11.1		3.6		17.5		1.5		0.6	!	56.4	17.1		7.1		0.8		2.2		0.4	!	28.8
Asian	100.0	64.2	29.4		10.4		5.2		18.1		0.8		0.2	!	35.8	15.9		7.1		0.7		0.7		0.1	!	11.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
American Indian/Alaska Native²	100.0	45.8	6.5	!	18.7		‡		9.8		‡		‡		54.2	19.8		5.7	!	‡		‡		‡		26.9
American Indian	100.0	46.4	‡		20.8		‡		9.8	!	‡		‡		53.6	19.5		‡		‡		‡		‡		25.8
Alaska Native	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
Two or more races	100.0	51.0	13.5		8.5		5.9		21.9		1.2	!	‡		49.0	17.2		9.9		‡		1.0	!	‡		18.7

Race/ethnicity by sex
Male
White	100.0	51.7	15.7		18.3		5.7		10.9		0.5		0.5		48.3	21.3		6.7		1.3		1.6		0.7		16.6
Black	100.0	44.5	17.4		11.1		4.4		9.7		1.1	!	0.7	!	55.5	21.9		6.1		‡		3.2		1.2	!	22.4
Hispanic	100.0	41.7	12.8		14.9		3.4		8.7		1.1	!	0.8	!	58.3	17.8		5.5		0.9	!	2.0		0.7	!	31.5
Asian	100.0	63.7	34.8		12.5		4.4		11.0		0.7		‡		36.3	17.6		7.1		0.6		0.8		0.1	!	10.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
American Indian/Alaska Native²	100.0	38.4	9.5	!	19.8		‡		5.9	!	‡		‡		61.6	23.1		‡		‡		‡		‡		31.3
American Indian	100.0	39.5	‡		23.9		‡		‡		‡		‡		60.5	22.3	!	‡		‡		‡		‡		29.4
Alaska Native	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
Two or more races	100.0	49.4	18.6		13.0		4.5	!	12.8		‡		‡		50.6	20.6		8.8		‡		‡		‡		18.6

Female
White	100.0	59.8	3.4		4.8		6.1		43.1		2.2		0.2		40.2	13.9		9.7		1.0		1.8		0.2	!	13.7
Black	100.0	50.8	6.1		4.0		3.2		33.1		4.4		‡		49.2	17.0		9.0		0.8	!	3.5		‡		18.5
Hispanic	100.0	46.5	4.5		5.6		3.8		30.1		2.2		‡		53.5	16.1		9.4		0.7	!	2.4		‡		24.8
Asian	100.0	64.9	21.2		7.2		6.4		28.8		1.1		‡		35.1	13.2		7.1		0.9		0.5		‡		13.3
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
American Indian/Alaska Native²	100.0	61.9	‡		‡		‡		18.2	!	27.3	!	‡		38.1	12.6	!	‡		‡		‡		‡		17.5
American Indian	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
Alaska Native	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡
Two or more races	100.0	52.9	7.6		3.3	!	7.4		32.6		2.0	!	‡		47.1	13.2		11.1		‡		‡		‡		18.9

Nativity
Hispanic
Born within the United States³	100.0	48.2	8.9		12.5		4.0		21.0		1.4		‡		51.8	17.7		7.5		1.1		2.4		0.6	!	22.6
Born outside the United States	100.0	37.3	10.2		9.1		3.1		12.6		1.6	!	0.8	!	62.7	16.4		6.5		‡		1.9	!	‡		37.3

Asian
Born within the United States³	100.0	56.4	12.5		10.6		4.7		27.3		1.3	!	‡		43.6	20.6		5.8		1.9		0.8	!	‡		14.3
Born outside the United States	100.0	66.1	33.7		10.4		5.3		15.7		0.7		0.2	!	33.9	14.7		7.5		0.4		0.6		‡		10.6

Citizenship status
U.S.-born citizen	100.0	54.5	9.9		12.0		5.2		25.7		1.4		0.4		45.5	18.1		7.7		1.2		1.8		0.5		16.1
Naturalized citizen	100.0	57.7	17.2		9.3		3.3		26.4		1.2		‡		42.3	19.0		4.9		0.7	!	1.4		0.4	!	15.8
Noncitizen	100.0	59.5	30.0		9.8		7.2		11.2		1.1		0.3	!	40.5	14.5		9.5		0.3		0.8		‡		15.4

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 30 percent or greater.

‡ Reporting standards not met. There are either too few cases or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

¹ Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not shown separately in the table.

² Includes persons reporting American Indian alone, Alaska Native alone, and persons from American Indian and/or Alaska Native tribes specified or unspecified.

³ Born within the United States includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas, and those born abroad of American parents.

NOTE: Estimates are for the entire population in the indicated age range, including persons in both households and group quarters. A household includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit. A group quarters is a nontypical household-type living arrangement where people live or stay in a group living arrangement that is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers' dormitories. Labor force status refers to the full calendar week prior to the week when the respondent answered the questions. Respondents were allowed to indicate two major undergraduate fields of study; data reflect the first reported field of study. STEM fields, as defined here, include agriculture and natural resources, biology and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, health professions and clinical sciences, mathematics and statistics, and physical sciences and science technologies. This indicator provides information on the percentage of graduates in undergraduate STEM fields, but does not provide an indication of the percentage of graduates in other fields who also took significant amounts of STEM coursework or those who have a second major in a STEM field. Data are assembled based on major field aggregations. In the major field aggregations that were not classified as STEM, some individual fields could be classified as STEM (such as econometrics within social sciences and history). Scientists include those in various disciplines such as astronomers, chemists, and social scientists. Medical professionals include medical doctors, pharmacists, registered nurses and nurse practitioners, and emergency medical technicians. Health professionals include various support personnel such as occupational therapy aides and dental assistants. The field of instruction for educators is not specified in the survey. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2010.