Ranking the States in Producing Women Graduates in STEM Fields

Data analyzed by WIAReport from the U.S. Department of Education shows that in 2009 American women earned 134,634 degrees in the so-called STEM fields of science, technology, engineering. and mathematics. This was 31 percent of all degrees earned in these fields. The percentage of all degrees in STEM fields earned by women actually declined from 32.9 percent in 2001 to 31.0 percent in 2009.

Some states did a far better job in steering women toward degrees in STEM fields than other states. As shown in the table, South Carolina led the list. In 2009, women earned 38.4 percent of all STEM degrees earned in the state. Other states where women showed a strong performance were Mississippi, Alaska, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia.

Utah ranked last among the 50 states. There women earned only 20.9 percent of all STEM degrees awarded in 2009. Other states where women’s share of all STEM degrees was significantly below the national average include Idaho, North Dakota, Kentucky, and Michigan.