The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2026

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)

Figure 1 U.S. R&D expenditures, by performer or funder: 1953–2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Patterns of R&D Resources

Figure 2 Federal obligations for research and development, top 5 agencies: FYs 2000–25 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development

Figure 3 Federal obligations for research and experimental development, by agency and performer: FY 2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development

Figure 4 Gross domestic expenditures on R&D and R&D intensity, by selected region, country, or economy: 2000–24 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Patterns of R&D Resources

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Main Science and Technology Indicators

Figure 5 S&E publications, by selected country: 2002–24 Elsevier Scopus

Figure 6 S&E publications in the top 1% most-cited journal articles as a share of all S&E journal articles, by selected region, country, or economy: 2006–22 Elsevier Scopus

Figure 7 S&E doctoral degrees awarded, by selected country: 2015–23 Government of India, Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education All India Survey on Higher Education

Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China Higher Education Data

National Bureau of Statistics of China China Statistical Yearbook

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Education at a Glance

Figure 8 Workers in STEM occupations: 2000, 2009, 2019, 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Figure 9 Average student scores on the main NAEP mathematics assessment, by grade level: 1990–2024 National Center for Education Statistics National Assessment of Educational Progress

Figure 10 Degree outcomes for fall 2009 ninth graders who had enrolled in postsecondary education by 2017, by first major: June 2021 National Center for Education Statistics High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

Figure 11 S&E degrees awarded, by degree level: 2014–24 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Figure 12 S&E undergraduate degrees awarded, by field: 2014 and 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

Figure 13 S&E graduate degrees awarded, by field: 2014 and 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Figure 14 Average scores of students in grade 8 on the TIMSS mathematics and science scales among participating advanced economies, by education system: 2023 National Center for Education Statistics Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

Figure 15 International S&E students on visas enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions, by level of enrollment: 2012–25 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)

Figure 16 International S&E graduate students on visas enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions, by level of enrollment and selected country of origin: 2012–25 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)

Figure 17 Share of S&E degrees awarded to temporary visa holders, by degree level: 2014–24 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Figure 18 S&E doctoral degrees awarded, by field and selected country: 2023 Government of India, Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education All India Survey on Higher Education

Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China Higher Education Data

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Education at a Glance

Figure 19 U.S. workforce, by occupational group and education level: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Figure 20 STEM occupational group share of total employment, by R&D-intensive industry classification: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Figure 21 Foreign-born share of workers with a bachelor's degree or higher, by highest degree level and occupational group: 2023 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Survey of College Graduates

Figure 22 R&D expenditures and R&D intensities, by selected region, country, or economy: 2024 or most recent year National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Patterns of R&D Resources

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Main Science and Technology Indicators

Figure 23 Share of global R&D expenditures, by selected region, country, or economy: 2000, 2010, and 2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Patterns of R&D Resources

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Main Science and Technology Indicators

Figure 24 Business R&D expenditures, by selected industry and selected region, country, or economy: 2022 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Analytical Business Enterprise Resarch and Development (ANBERD) Database

Figure 25 U.S. R&D expenditures, by type of R&D and performer or funder: 2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Patterns of R&D Resources

Figure 26 U.S. business R&D expenditures, by selected manufacturing or services industry: 2023 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey

Figure 27 Federal obligations for R&D, by field and type of R&D: FY 2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development

Figure 28 Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health primarily supported by the federal government, by broad field and agency: 2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Figure 29 S&E publications, by selected country and rest of world: 2014–24 Elsevier Scopus

Figure 30 S&E publications in the top 1% most-cited journal articles as a share of all journal articles for selected S&E fields, by selected region, country, or economy: 2022 Elsevier Scopus

Figure 31 Total factor productivity, U.S. nonfarm business sector and information industries: 2017–24 Bureau of Labor Statistics Productivity Statistics

Figure 32 Startup companies based on licensed university technology, by company location: 2000–24 AUTM AUTM Licensing Activity Survey

Figure 33 Citations of U.S. academic S&E articles in USPTO utility patents, by S&E field of the articles cited: 2024 Elsevier Scopus

United States Patent and Trademark Office PatentsView

Figure 34 USPTO utility patents granted to owners, by nationality and U.S. sector: 2004–24 United States Patent and Trademark Office PatentsView

Figure 35 International priority patent families granted, by technology and selected country or economy: 2024 European Patent Office PATSTAT

Figure 36 U.S. companies reporting product or business process innovation, by selected industry: 2020–22 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Annual Business Survey

Figure 37 Venture capital investment received by firms headquartered in selected regions, countries, or economies: 2013–24 PitchBook Venture Capital and Private Equity Database

Figure 38 Venture capital investment received by firms headquartered in the United States, by critical and emerging technology: 2013–24 PitchBook Venture Capital and Private Equity Database

Figure 39 Industry share of U.S. total KTI value added, by selected industries: 2002–24 S&P Global Comparative Industry Service

Figure 40 KTI industry value added for selected countries or economies: 2002–24 S&P Global Comparative Industry Service

Figure 41 Gross exports of KTI manufacturing industries for selected countries: 2002–24 S&P Global Comparative Industry Service

Figure A Semiconductors collaboration network, by selected region, country, or economy pairs: 2002–24 Elsevier Scopus

Table 1 U.S. R&D expenditures, by type of R&D: Selected years, 2000–24 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Patterns of R&D Resources

Table 3 Average and percentile student scores on the grade 8 NAEP science assessment: 2009–24 National Center for Education Statistics National Assessment of Educational Progress

Table 4 Median earnings of full-time, year-round workers, by educational attainment and occupational group: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table 5 Select characteristics of veterans and nonveterans: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table 6 U.S. federal agencies cited in the funding acknowledgment section of S&E articles, by citation frequency: 2002–23 Elsevier Scopus

Table 7 Top patenting organizations at the USPTO: 2024 United States Patent and Trademark Office PatentsView

Table S1 S&E degrees as a percentage of total degrees awarded: 2014 and 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Table S2 S&E graduate degrees awarded, by field: 2014 and 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Table S3 S&E and S&E-related degrees awarded, by sex, field, and degree level: 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

Table S4 S&E doctoral degrees awarded, by sex and field: 2024 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Table S5 Race and ethnicity of U.S. resident population, ages 20–34, and U.S. citizen and permanent resident S&E award recipients, by degree level: 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program

Table S6 Degrees awarded, by degree level, citizenship status, and field: 2024 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Survey of Earned Doctorates

Table S7 Size of the workforce, by occupational group: 2014–24 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S8 Projected employment size, by occupational group: 2024 and 2034 Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections

Table S9 Unemployment rate, by occupational group: 2014–24 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S10 Workers, by state, occupational group, and educational attainment: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S11 Workers, by major industries: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S12 Industries with R&D intensity higher than the average across industries: 2023 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S13 Workers, by occupational group and industry type: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S14 Workers, by occupational group, sex, and race and ethnicity: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S15 Workers, by occupational group, place of birth, and selected region, country, or economy of origin: 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Table S16 Citizenship status of STEM workers with a bachelor's degree or higher, by occupational group and educational attainment: 2023 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics National Survey of College Graduates

Table S17 S&E articles in all fields combined, by coauthorship attribute and selected region, country, or economy: 2002–24 Elsevier Scopus

Table S18 U.S. international articles with coauthor from selected countries: Selected years, 2004–24 Elsevier Scopus

Report Tables

Supplemental Tables

Correction(s)