Unemployment Rate among STEM Occupations

• Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 3: “Employed and experienced unemployed persons by detailed occupation and class of worker, annual average”
• Note: Table 3 may not available on the BLS website but can be specially requested by contacting BLS.  Life & Physical Science occupations do not include the social sciences.  The occupations included in this category are: agricultural and food scientists; biological scientists; conservation scientists and foresters; medical scientists; environmental scientists and geoscientists; physical scientists, all other; agricultural and food science technicians; biological technicians; chemical technicians; geological and petroleum technicians; nuclear technicians; and miscellaneous life, physical, and social science technicians.  The aggregate unemployment rate for this category is calculated by the Business Roundtable based on the total numbers of employed and unemployed.

National Average Unemployment Rate

• Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation, Summary Table A

Percent of ACT-Tested U.S. High School Graduates Meeting College Readiness Benchmarks, by Subject Area

• Source: ACT, “The Condition of College & Career Readiness” report
• Note: ACT reading and science benchmark scores were changed in 2012, complicating certain year-to-year comparisons.

Percent of Adult Population Aged 25-64 with Post-Secondary Educational Attainment, by Country

• Source: Indicator A1: “To what levels have adults studied?” Table 3a, © OECD, Education at a Glance, http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag.htm
• Note: OECD categorizes educational attainment as Tertiary-type B or Tertiary-type A and advanced research programs.  These two categories are labeled “2-Year Technical Degree” and “Bachelor’s or Advanced Degree” on the data monitor.

Percent of 4th Grade Students Performing at or above Proficient on NAEP Tests, by Subject Area

• Source: U.S. Department of Education.  Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress results
• Note: Data points before 1998 represent NAEP tests in which accommodations were not permitted; data from 1998 onward represent tests in which accommodations were permitted.

U.S. Scores on OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment, Compared to OECD Average

• Source: OECD, Programme for International Student Assessment report, http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/
• Note: PISA assesses the competencies of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science in 65 countries and economies.  Data is reported every three years.

Percent of U.S. Adults Scoring at Each Proficiency Level in Literacy, Compared to OECD Average

• Source: Skills Outlook report, Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, © OECD, http://skills.oecd.org/skillsoutlook.html
• Note: The PIAAC evaluates the skills — including literacy, numeracy, and problem solving — of adults in 24 countries.  Literacy is categorized into six levels of proficiency, each associated with a particular range of test scores.