Top 10 States with the most STEM graduates per capita
by Josh Bays, on Nov 8, 2014 10:30:00 AM
One of the most difficult challenges that most companies face in today’s economic climate is the ability to hire and retain qualified talent. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates, or STEM graduates, are in constant demand by companies.
“The quality of the workforce drives the majority of location decisions. Students graduating from universities within the region are critical to supplying the labor force pipeline. STEM graduates are demanded by a variety of industries and project types,” said Josh Bays, Principal, Site Selection Group. “Companies look for a training infrastructure that can provide that talent.”
Site Selection Group assists private and public sector career schools in optimizing program offerings based on employment demands. SSG researched the states with the highest percentage of STEM graduates relative to all post-secondary graduates from the last academic year. The top 10 states are shown below.
Top 10 States with STEM Graduates
| Rank | State | STEM Graduates Per Capita |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 17.90% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 15.80% |
| 3 | Montana | 15.80% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 14.80% |
| 5 | Indiana | 14.80% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 14.50% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 14.50% |
| 8 | Michigan | 14.40% |
| 9 | North Carolina | 13.70% |
| 10 | Washington | 13.70% |
Note: STEM graduates include students who graduated with at least a diploma from a degree-granting institution in the following programs, as reported by the Department of Education: Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, Engineering Technologies, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physical Sciences, Science Technologies.
Source: IPEDS
