Employment in STEM: ICLS13) (15+) in United States
United States: Employment in STEM: ICLS13) (15+) was 30,981 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in STEM occupations (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States, 2003–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United States recorded 30,981 for employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 39.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States peaked at 30,981 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 18,612, in 2003.
That places United States 1st out of 66 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Employment in STEM: ICLS13) (15+) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 18,612 | — |
| 2004 | 18,718 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 19,074 | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 19,502 | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 20,054 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 20,284 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 19,859 | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 19,961 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 19,598 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 20,311 | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 20,584 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 21,414 | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 22,198 | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 22,681 | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 23,253 | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 24,140 | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 24,874 | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 27,419 | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 25,231 | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 28,811 | +14.2% |
| 2023 | 29,779 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 30,466 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 30,981 | +1.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 30,981 is above the median for high income countries, which is 769.54, 40.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19,443 | 18,612 | 20,284 | 7 |
| 2010s | 21,902 | 19,598 | 24,874 | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,781 | 25,231 | 30,981 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States?
- Employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States was 30,981 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 30,981 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,612 in 2003.
- How does United States rank for employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- United States ranks 1st out of 66 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in stem occupations (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment in STEM occupations (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.