A Quarter of College Graduates and About Half of Doctorate Holders in Science and Engineering Occupations Were R & D Workers in 2019

Among the 50.5 million college graduates employed in all occupations across the United States in 2019, approximately 3.7 million ( 7 % ) were R&D workers — graduates who reported that their primary work activity was in basic research, applied research, or experimental development. Of approximately 7.5 million graduates in science and engineering ( S&E ) occupations, roughly 1 in 5 ( 23 % ) were R&D workers. Biological, agricultural, and other life scientists had the highest concentration of R&D workers among them ( 59 % ) , followed by physical and related scientists ( 47 % ) . Concentrations within these two groups of scientists were even higher for those with a doctorate degree. Data are from the National Survey of College Graduates, by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
Source: NSF - Statistics on U.S. Science and Engineering Resources - Category: Statistics Source Type: news