2017’s Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals

STEM workers are in fierce demand and not just in the global epicenter of high tech known as Silicon Valley. According to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — professions will expand 1.7 times faster than non-STEM occupations between 2010 and 2020. That should be welcome news to job seekers with skills in these areas, half of which do not even require a four-year college degree.

Given their growing demand, STEM careers today comprise some of the most lucrative employment, paying higher salaries and boasting far fewer threats of unemployment compared with non-STEM jobs. In fact, the annual average wage for all STEM positions collectively was $85,570 — 81 percent more than the national average of $47,230 for all jobs — according to the most recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To identify the best markets for STEM professionals, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 largest metro areas across 17 key metrics. Our data set ranges from “per-capita job openings for STEM graduates” to “annual median wage growth for STEM jobs” to “projected demand for STEM workers by 2020.” Continue reading below for our findings, expert commentary and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings

*“Metro Area” is a simplified label for Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which was used for our sample.

Ask the Experts

Like all professional, STEM occupations pose challenges to graduates who wish to pursue such careers. For guidance, we asked a panel of experts to share their advice for both job seekers and local governments that stand to benefit from growth in the field. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:

1. How do STEM graduates perform in the labor market relative to graduates from other fields?
2. According to recent census figures, the majority of STEM graduates do not ultimately work in a STEM occupation. Why is that the case?
3. How can the U.S. stay ahead of other countries in attracting and training the best STEM professionals?
4. In evaluating the best cities for STEM professionals, what are the top five indicators?
5. How can local authorities make their cities more appealing to STEM graduates and technology companies?
6. How can government, employers and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

• Carolyn Parker Assistant Professor of STEM Education at Johns Hopkins University
• Catherine J. Weinberger Independent Scholar affiliated with the Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research (ISBER) at the University of California
• Kristopher J. Childs Assistant Professor of STEM Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University
• Peter R. Turner Dean of Arts & Sciences, Director of the Institute for STEM Education and Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science at Clarkson University
• Jill A. Klein Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and New Programs and Executive in Residence for the Department of Information Technology in the Kogod School of Business at American University
• Margaret R. Blanchard Associate Professor of Science Education in the STEM Education Department and Research Director of the The Science House at North Carolina State University
• Matthew T. Hora Research Scientist at the WI Center for Education Research and Assistant Professor of Adult and Higher Education in the Department of Liberal Arts and Applied Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Carolyn Parker

Assistant Professor of STEM Education at Johns Hopkins University

How do STEM graduates perform in the labor market relative to graduates from other fields?

The unemployment rate among STEM occupations is approximately half of the national average and in some cases, such as computer and information systems managers, slightly greater than 3 percent. STEM graduates, including non-Ph.D. occupations within career and technical education (CTE), offer middle- and high-skill jobs with significantly higher-than-average wages, increased employment opportunities and stability, and transferrable knowledge. For example, there are currently 4 million job openings for computer workers alone, and the median time to fill STEM vacancies is more than twice that for vacancies in other fields. Sixty percent of companies surveyed by the Business Roundtable and Change the Equation reported that roughly 200,000 current U.S. job openings require basic STEM literacy and 42 percent require advanced STEM knowledge.

According to recent census figures, the majority of STEM grads do not ultimately work in a STEM occupation. Why is that the case?

There are numerous reasons. The reasons that I am most familiar with have to do with our educational and workplace climate. We have an unwelcoming STEM culture, which supports a lack of interest in STEM courses and careers, particularly among females, people of color, and people with disabilities, because of entrenched cultural attitudes and beliefs about innate abilities. To build a strong STEM workforce, we must first “advance systemic changes that improve educational policies and practices,” to create equitable learning environments. Academic achievement gaps (also referred to as equity gaps that are measured by recruitment, retention, performance, and completion) between White/Asian students and students of color that are evident in most rigorous STEM courses and programs.

How can the U.S. stay ahead of other countries in attracting and retaining the best STEM professionals?

In my opinion, we can attract and retain the best STEM professionals by improving our educational system. In a memo to the President’s educate to innovate campaign, more than 8,000 individuals and equity organizations requested that the White House “help educators change their interactions with students to engage and motivate all students by learning and acting to dispel stereotypes, build self-efficacy and confidence in students, change the classroom climate for underrepresented students, and change the mindset of everyone that these talents can be learned by many, not few.” Specifically, we educators can create equitable learning environments to ensure that teaching and learning are rich and relevant to students and connect meaningfully to STEM literacy.

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

Educators can increase the number of women and minorities in STEM education by being aware and responsive to the ways that diverse students may be marginalized by our current education system. Educators must take seriously the multiple perspectives, values, experiences, and beliefs of their students and their families and create daily opportunities for community contributions and collaboration. Classrooms should be student-centered in that students are responsible for their own learning and self-assessment, are provided opportunities for free inquiry, experience learning relevant to their lives, and participate in collaborative learning and continuous reanalysis to learn essential knowledge.

Catherine J. Weinberger

Independent Scholar affiliated with the Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research (ISBER) at the University of California

How do STEM graduates perform in the labor market relative to graduates from other fields?

I have analyzed data from the 1970s through the present. In every decade, college graduates with majors in engineering or computer science earned more than classmates with other majors. As a rough rule of thumb, the more mathematics is required by a major, the higher the pay. This relationship tends to be even stronger among women than among men - the gender gap in pay is present in all fields, but tends to be smaller in technical fields. Racial wage gaps also tend to be smaller in engineering or computer science fields. I am currently doing research examining the lasting benefits induced by earlier policies that expanded opportunities to study engineering or computer science at historically black colleges and universities.

According to recent census figures, the majority of STEM grads do not ultimately work in a STEM occupation. Why is that the case?

Many individuals choose to work in fields other than the field of their undergraduate major, but still fully utilize the skill set developed in college. For example, the majority of doctors began as science majors, and managers who lead teams of engineers are often experienced engineers themselves. In these cases, the undergraduate major still plays a vital role in the way they think and solve problems on a daily basis, although the job title is no longer in the STEM category. Of course, there are also people who try out one career path and decide it is not for them, or who purposely pursue a breadth of knowledge and experience.

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

This has been a difficult challenge, partly because stereotypes about who will be good at technical work are so strong. My own research shows that individual students often rule out engineering or computer science majors or careers because they do not expect to fit in socially, because they do not think they would like it, or because they think the coursework is beyond their capability (even when this is clearly untrue).

Some educational institutions have had great success with what I call the "try your vegetables" approach, requiring all undergraduates to take a computer science class (while also making the effort to ensure the class in interesting, engaging and welcoming to all students). This type of policy tends to dramatically increase the number of students choosing the major, especially among students who might not initially think of themselves as the computer science type. We will all benefit if we can succeed in encouraging a broader cross-section of capable students to enter STEM fields.

Kristopher J. Childs

Assistant Professor of STEM Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University

How can the U.S. stay ahead of other countries in attracting and retaining the best STEM professionals?

The U.S. must begin promoting active science, technology, engineering, and math learning for our youngest children. Children should continually be exposed to the various facets of STEM. This will develop a pipeline of future STEM professionals. Too often, we seek to identify and attract possible STEM professionals at the secondary and post-secondary levels, which at times is too late. The U.S. needs to focus on a systematic process to cultivate STEM throughout children’s educational experiences. This will lead to the attraction of more individuals to the STEM field and assist in the retention of STEM professionals.

I recently wrote an initiative that was accepted by the White House in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and Invest in US that focuses on Advancing Active STEM Education for our youngest learners. The initiative I wrote is a partnership between the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and Texas Tech University to assist in exposing young learners to STEM.

How can local authorities make their cities more appealing to STEM graduates and technology companies?

Local authorities need to embrace innovation and change. Many localities focus on historical decisions and rationale for appealing to STEM graduates. Typically citing “we have always done things this way.” Localities must understand STEM graduates have been exposed to technology and innovation their entire lives and are seeking cities that can continue to provide this exposure.

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

The government, employers and educators must purposefully focus on diversification of the STEM field. They must actively seek to expose women and minorities to the STEM field and create opportunities specifically for women and minorities in the STEM fields. Increasing the number of women and minorities in the STEM fields is not just going to “happen” arbitrarily, it will only happen when persons of power implement specific processes/programs geared towards women and minorities.

Peter R. Turner

Dean of Arts & Sciences, Director of the Institute for STEM Education and Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science at Clarkson University

How do STEM graduates perform in the labor market relative to graduates from other fields?

In general, they are very competitive and are much sought after. Initial salaries for STEM graduates, even at the BS level, are among the highest of all disciplines, and they work in many fields.

According to recent census figures, the majority of STEM grads do not ultimately work in a STEM occupation. Why is that the case?

I think this is largely a result of how different occupations are classified. Most STEM grads do work in STEM fields but often in areas where they are using those skills for other applications. For example in the context of the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Engineering professors are classed as working in Education, not STEM

• There are critical shortages of good high school math/science teachers, and similarly STEM grads who follow that path are classed as being in Education, not STEM

• Biostatisticians, chemists, mathematicians etc. working in medical research or pharmaceuticals are classed as working in medicine and related fields, not STEM - but their work is still STEM work

• Data analysts working in mathematical finance are still working as STEM experts, but are classed as working in Finance not STEM

There are many such examples that skew the statistics in similar ways.

How can the U.S. stay ahead of other countries in attracting and retaining the best STEM professionals?

Recent trends in college admissions seem to imply that young people are being attracted to STEM. The growth areas for admission are being led by Engineering, Computer and Computational Science and the Biosciences at least in part because of the documented shortages highlighted by reports such as PCAST's Engage to Excel. What is very troubling is the low retention rate in these college programs nationally. Engage to Excel also addresses that in a number of thought provoking ways. One particular possible cause is described as the "math gap" - the gap between students' preparation and the colleges' expectations of them which is arguably exacerbated by traditional teaching and course content that does not strike the students as relevant. Addressing the transition between high school and college and modifying education throughout the K-16 (but especially perhaps 8-14) in a way that incorporates feedback between the systems so they are appropriately matched.

There are many initiatives underway. The biosciences and physics have perhaps led the way in Discipline-based Education Research but Math and Engineering are catching up fast - TPSE-Math (Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Math) and the KEEN project (funded by the Kern Foundation).

The Modeling across the Curriculum initiative, MaC, (NSF-funded, SIAM-based, with me as Director) is often cited in relation to TPSE-Math and is in close accord with the National Academies report "Math 2025," the Mathematical Sciences in 2025.

Essentially the message is that we need curricula that are relevant to the students' goals and are appropriately matched to the students' preparation. This does not mean watering them down, it is largely a matter of addressing similar content in better ways - and allowing for multiple pathways into STEM college programs and careers.

You might look at the INGenIOuS report too in this context. It is available on the MAA website.

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

There is an important cultural shift needed and it is vital that we move in this direction, but I don't have easy answers -- except that if we address the HS-college transition issues in ways suggested above that will certainly help with the appeal to a more diverse population. It is well-documented that women are much more attracted to STEM subfields that they see as having immediate benefit to society. Some are easy to characterize that way - bio and environmental programs for example - but others, math, computing, engineering and physical sciences need to do a better job of explaining their relevance at a general audience level. We tend to do a good job within our own communities but a pretty lousy one on a wider level - with some obvious highlight exceptions of course.

Jill A. Klein

Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and New Programs and Executive in Residence for the Department of Information Technology in the Kogod School of Business at American University

How do STEM graduates perform in the labor market relative to graduates from other fields?

STEM students typically bring confidence in quantitative reasoning which is highly valued in many entry-level positions. High achievers combine their STEM education with life experience to advance and their problem solving agility continues to be the key to their success.

According to recent census figures, the majority of STEM grads do not ultimately work in a STEM occupation. Why is that the case?

Most industries, including public and non-profit sector organizations, value students with STEM educational backgrounds. Business is complex and the analytical, problem solving techniques associated with the STEM disciplines aligns with many positions regardless of the industry. Hospitality firms want to optimize the costs and quality of the customer experience, financial services firms seek solutions to hedge the markets for clients. Running the military and civilian services demands many of the skills honed in the STEM programs. The challenge is to provide outstanding entry level experiences where STEM graduates use their educational experience to broaden their perspectives and ultimately value across a wide range of industries.

How can the U.S. stay ahead of other countries in attracting and retaining the best STEM professionals?

Innovation is the engine of the growth and the U.S. must continue to welcome STEM educated professionals into U.S. based organizations, especially when these graduates are educated at U.S. universities.

In evaluating the best cities for STEM professionals, what are the top five indicators?

1. Business community supporting multiple industries and firms; a company town lacks the long-term flexibility to attract and retain STEM professionals and their spouses/partners.

2. Business climate where innovation and new businesses thrive as evidenced by the presence of incubators, investment funding.

3. Outstanding public services especially K-12 schools and transportation.

4. Access to quality housing and related retail services.

5. Leading universities and cultural organizations.

How can local authorities make their cities more appealing to STEM graduates and technology companies?

Local government support for business investment by way of financial incentives and access to an appropriately educated population is critical. Additionally, the many of the same things driving the STEM professional to live in a locale also appeal to the community. What comes first? The chicken or the egg? Communities need to want to create a desired destination with outstanding services that support a high quality of life.

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

Attracting women and minorities to STEM fields of study must start early with regular check points all along the way. Research suggests that girls and minorities turn-off when early studies in math and science fail to excite them. By engaging professionals to work closely with the schools as mentors and tutors, students will be able to see themselves continuing to study in the STEM fields. Engagement needs to be long term and deep since a chance encounter with a STEM professional lacks the intentionality necessary to keep a young person interested.

Margaret R. Blanchard

Associate Professor of Science Education in the STEM Education Department and Research Director of the The Science House at North Carolina State University

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

Educators can help to encourage students to consider STEM fields if we give them experiences to find out what they are passionate about. The problem with high needs school is that high stakes assessment scores tend to be very low, thus increasing the pressure on teachers to teach to the test. The reason we are working with students after school is because it allows us a lot more flexibility to explore the topics without testing constraints. I have done a lot of work with teachers employing instructional technologies in classes, which had positive results (Blachard, LePrevost, Tolin, & Gutierrez, 2016).

I honestly do not know how students can find out what they are passionate about if they do not have direct experiences. And a critical part of finding out about your career interests is to know what you like as well as what you don't. My research with Meredith Kier (Kier & Blanchard, in review) indicates that students' home experiences are much more influential on their future careers and the only way to really influence that is through intensive, sustained experiences. In our experiences (anecdotally), students seem most interested in younger role models with whom they better relate (e.g., college students rather than middle-aged folks.) There is a fair bit of research supporting the use of minority role models with minority students.

The STEM clubs in one of my projects are focused on engaging students in STEM-related activities, with explicit career connections. The students are in rural, high poverty middle schools, and we work with the teachers to teach them the activities and have them lead the clubs.

Matthew T. Hora

Research Scientist at the WI Center for Education Research and Assistant Professor of Adult and Higher Education in the Department of Liberal Arts and Applied Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison

According to recent census figures, the majority of STEM grads do not ultimately work in a STEM occupation. Why is that the case?

Besides the prospect of simply not being as many straightforward “STEM jobs” out there as there are graduates (i.e., an oversupply of STEM graduates), another explanation is that there are many occupations that require some form of STEM knowledge and expertise that are unlikely to be labeled as such. Jonathan Rothwell wrote about this in his analysis of the “hidden” STEM economy, where 20% of all jobs (26 million) required some form of STEM knowledge but 50% of those did not require a 4-year degree and were in health care, the skilled trades, and so on. So you’ve got a high demand out there for people with these skills and talents in fields that are not going to be strictly labeled a “STEM” industry or occupation.

How can government, employers, and educators increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields?

The one thing I can speak to from my own research is that employers hire not only for technical expertise and educational credentials, but in our interviews with 52 biotechnology and manufacturing firms in Wisconsin, 74% of them reported that they hired for “cultural fit” with their firm. That is, even a highly qualified candidate with the right credentials would not be hired if the hiring manager felt that their personality, demeanor, and other so-called “soft” skills did not match the existing employee base.

Research on the sociology of hiring (see Rivera, 2012) found similar things, with some obvious implications for discrimination. So one issue that needs to be thought about in regards to diversifying the STEM workforce, that is rarely talked about in my view, is hiring discrimination that may be based on implicit (or in some cases explicit) bias for hiring those who look and act the same as the existing employee base.

Methodology

In order to determine the best job markets for STEM professionals, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) — metro area, for short — across two key dimensions, namely “Professional Opportunities” and “STEM-Friendly Environment.”

We evaluated those dimensions using 17 key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for STEM professionals. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

Finally, we calculated the overall score for each metro area based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to rank the metro areas.

Professional Opportunities – Total Points: 70

• Job Openings for STEM Graduates per Capita: Double Weight (~13.33 Points)
• Share of Workforce in STEM: Double Weight (~13.33 Points)
• Projected Demand for STEM Jobs by 2020*: Half Weight (~3.33 Points)
• STEM-Employment Growth: Double Weight (~13.33 Points)
• Unemployment Rate for Residents with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)
• Research & Development (R&D) Spending*: Half Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Research & Development (R&D) Intensity*: Half Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: “R&D Intensity” refers to R&D expenditures expressed as a percentage of GDP.
• Utility Patents*: Half Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: “Utility Patents” refers to state-granted invention patents as a percentage of the U.S. total.
• Annual Median Wage for STEM Workers: Full Weight (~6.67 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted by the cost of living.
• Annual Median Wage Growth for STEM Workers (2013-2015): Half Weight (~3.33 Points)

STEM-Friendly Environment – Total Points: 30

• Mathematics Performance*: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This metric considers standardized math test scores of fourth and eighth graders.
• Share of Best Engineering Schools: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of engineering universities in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Engineering Schools ranking.
• Quality of Engineering Universities: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Engineering Schools ranking.
• Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Annual Median Wage for STEM Workers / Median Gross Rent.
• Transit Accessibility of Workplace: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of jobs accessible within 30 minutes by transit held by workers with at least a bachelor’s degree divided by number of workers with at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Recreation-Friendliness: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Cities for Recreation ranking.
• Family-Friendliness: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Cities for Families ranking.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Center on Education and the Workforce, National Center for Education Statistics, National Science Foundation, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Council for Community and Economic Research, Indeed, U.S. News & World Report and WalletHub research.