According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015 there were 8.6 million jobs in the field covering Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, accounting for 6.2 percent of the nation’s workforce.
A national survey determined that Sacramento is among the top 20 U.S. cities for STEM professionals.
California’s capital city ranks 16th overall in a comparison of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas. Using 17 metrics, Sacramento had a score of 57.2, just below San Diego (57.39). The only other city in the state to score higher was San Francisco (12th overall, 60.5).
Sacramento scored well in several metrics, including research and development spending and intensity (fourth); share of best engineering schools (11th); quality of engineering universities (11th); and recreation-friendliness (12th). However, the city struggled in mathematics performance, ranking 85th.
Seattle topped the list at 73.6, with Boston, Pittsburgh, Austin and Minneapolis rounding out the top five. Jackson, Miss., brings up the rear with a score of 22.57.
Other California cities on the list are San Jose (20th), Los Angeles (35th), Bakersfield (62nd), Riverside (83rd), Fresno (87th), Stockton (91st) and Oxnard (92nd).
WalletHub, a site which specializes in credit reports, used data from several sources – including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Center on Education and the Workforce, National Science Foundation, U.S. News & World Report and Salary.com – to conduct its study.
©2018 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
