Written by Patrick Villanova
As the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continue to grow, more and more college students are focusing on these fields of study. According to data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, 42% increase in STEM degrees It was awarded in 2020-21 rather than 10 years ago.
Considering this, smart assets examined Census Bureau data to determine which cities have the highest percentage of people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree in STEM. We considered 322 locations with the highest populations of people 25 and older.
Main findings
Cambridge, Massachusetts ranks first. No other city has a higher percentage of adults with STEM degrees than Cambridge. Home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), nearly half (48.76%) of Cambridge residents over the age of 25 have earned a bachelor’s degree in science and engineering.
More than 75% of adults in these cities have a bachelor’s degree. In Cambridge, Arlington, Virginia, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, more than three-quarters of people over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. This is more than twice the average (37.4%).
New York City has the largest STEM hub. New York City has 2.5 times as many STEM degree holders (900,902) as Los Angeles (349,493), which has the second-highest number of STEM-educated adults. Despite this, the Big Apple was ranked 112th due to its large population.
Seattle, San Francisco and Austin are 10th, 16th and 28th. However, several cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and greater Seattle area rank in the top 10. About one-third (34.7%) of Seattle adults have a STEM degree, compared to 29.6% in San Francisco and 25.0% in Austin.
California is home to 8 of the 25 cities with the highest percentage of STEM majors. On a statewide level, STEM is most prevalent in California. Four cities rounded out the top 10: Sunnyvale (44.6%), Santa Clara (42.4%), Berkeley (40.5%), and Fremont (40.4%). Irvine (34.7%), San Mateo (30.4%), and San Francisco and Santa Monica (28.2%) also made the list.
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A closer look at the top 10 STEM cities in the US
1. Cambridge, Massachusetts
Topping the list is Cambridge, where 48.76% of the adult population has a science and engineering degree. Additionally, a whopping 81.44% of adults in Cambridge have a bachelor’s degree, demonstrating the city’s commitment to higher education. Of the 64,657 people over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree, 7.33% had a business degree, 2.21% had an education degree, and 17.15% had an arts or humanities degree. I am.
2. Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale comes in second with 44.59% of its adult population having a science and engineering degree, highlighting the city’s connection to tech-savvy Silicon Valley. Approximately 67.33% of Sunnyvale’s adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, 8.19% of the population holds degrees in business, 2.04% holds degrees in education, and 9.40% holds degrees in arts and humanities.
3. Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara follows closely in third place, with 42.40% of the adult population holding degrees in science and engineering. Just under 66% (59,903 people) of Santa Clara residents over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. Of these people, 8.64% graduated with a degree in business, 1.57% with a degree in education, and 8.23% with a degree in arts or humanities.
4. Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, secures fourth place with 40.65% of its adult population holding science and engineering degrees. 75.38% of Ann Arbor’s adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. Of these 52,406 people living in Ann Arbor, 5.70% graduated with a business degree, and 3.93% and 19.43% earned degrees in education and arts or humanities, respectively.
5. Berkeley, California
Home to the University of California, Berkeley, this Bay Area city ranks No. 5 with 40.53% of its adult population holding science and engineering degrees. Almost 74% of residents over the age of 25, or 55,497 people, have a bachelor’s degree. 4.08% of this population has a business degree, 1.60% has an education degree, and 23.54% has an arts or humanities degree.
6. Fremont, California
Fremont ranks 6th with 40.36% of its adult population having a science and engineering degree. Approximately 63.69% (102,588) of Fremont’s adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. 9.45% of this population had a business degree, 1.69% had an education degree, and 7.25% studied arts or humanities.
7. Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is No. 7, with 39.18% of its adult population holding degrees in science and engineering. In total, 77,580 (70.73%) adults aged 25 and older earned a bachelor’s degree. A significant proportion of those people (13.20%) graduated with a business degree, 3.55% with an education degree, and 10.89% with an arts or humanities degree.
8. Arlington, Virginia
Arlington secures 8th place with 37.79% of its adult population holding science and engineering degrees. Meanwhile, 76.61% (131,184 people) of adults 25 and older in Arlington have a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, 12.98% of the population holds a degree in business, 3.14% holds a degree in education, and 19.71% holds a degree in arts or humanities.
9. Cary, North Carolina
Cary ranks 9th with 36.13% of its adult population having a science and engineering degree. Approximately 70.27% of Cary’s adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. Of the 82,909 adults with this level of education, 14.23% have a business degree, 3.34% have an education degree, and 10.06% have an arts or humanities degree.
10. Seattle, Washington
Seattle rounds out the top 10 with 34.78% of its adult population holding science and engineering degrees. A significant percentage (68.28%) of Seattle’s adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. Of Seattle residents with these degrees, 8.42% have a business degree, 2.30% have an education degree, and 17.83% have an arts or humanities degree.
Data and methodology
Census Bureau data was compared between 2021 and 2016 for the 322 locations with the highest populations of people 25 and older. Specifically, the proportion of adults with a bachelor’s degree in “Science and Engineering” was considered. This includes degrees in the fields of mathematics and engineering. degree in technology.
this story produced by smart assets Reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
