2017
Foreign-Born Individuals in S&E Occupations in The United States, By Level Of Degree and Occupation: 2017
Although recent data isn’t available, if China keeps up the pace of graduating students with science and engineering degrees, its numbers will swamp the United States.
Active Launch Vehicle Operators by Type, 2000-2022
Orbital launch attempts have more than tripled since a lull in activity in the early 2000s bottomed out at 55 attempts in 2004. Part of the rapid growth in the past few years is due to a sharp increase in launch vehicle operators after a long period with an average just shy of 10 distinct operators per year.
NASA Civil Servant Workforce, FY 2013-2023
In 2022, NASA was named the best place to work in the federal government among large agencies for the 10th year in a row. NASA attributed this “decade of excellence” to the agency’s continuing dedication to supporting and strengthening its workforce.
U.S. Space Industry Employment and U.S. Total Employment Relative to 2011
Employment at U.S. private sector space companies grew nearly 2% from 2021 to 2022, reaching 155,973 people in five employment classifications, based on preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This continues a consistent pattern of growth since 2016.
U.S. College Enrollment for Engineering, 2017-2022
According to data released by the National Student Clearing House, which tracks higher education statistics, the decline has been consistent and steady since 2017, with 86,307 fewer engineering and science majors heading to class last fall.
U.S. Private Sector Space Industry Employment, 2012-2022
The private space sector has grown more than 18% over the past five years and proved to be resilient to the negative effects on total U.S. employment associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foreign-Born Individuals in S&E Occupations in The United States, By Level Of Degree and Occupation: 2017
The National Science Foundation in 2020 found that many firms covered shortfalls in science and engineering workers by courting immigrants. More than a third of workers holding doctorate degrees in science and engineering jobs across America were born in another country.
Launch Attempts by Top Operators, 2000-2022
Two of the top three launch operators — CNSA and SpaceX — have contributed to overall launch activity growth by exponentially increasing their pace, while the third — Roscosmos — decreased its annual launches by 42% from 2000 to 2022.
U.S. Military Space Spending 2005-2022
Gallagher said the military must accelerate its efforts in space and cyberspace to keep pace with Russia and China, improving Pentagon cybersecurity and redesigning Space Force satellites to harden constellations against attack.
U.S. College Enrollment for Engineering, 2017-2022
Across the United States, the pipeline for new engineers and scientists has dropped steadily over the last five years, as the number of college students majoring in those fields shrank by nearly 90,000 from record levels set in 2017.