Current Demographic Landscape
Native groups – including those identifying as American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples of North America – are severely underrepresented in STEM education and employment relative to their representation in the U.S. population. According to the 2020 Census, American Indians or Alaska Natives accounted for 1.3% of the U.S. population, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders accounted for 0.3% of the population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). According to the National Science Foundation (2023), American Indians or Alaska Natives have a low and declining share of Science and Engineering degree recipients when comparing data from 2011 to 2020. In 2020, NSF/NCSES reports that they only earned 0.4% of S&E bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. When examining the percentage of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) that are in the STEM workforce (ages 18-74), in 2021, NSF reports that 0.4% of AIAN were employed in S&E occupations and 0.6% were employed in S&E-related occupations. In total, AIANs made up 0.2 million of the STEM workforce. Unfortunately, data disaggregated for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) for these same parameters are unavailable due to their small numbers.
References
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). 2023. Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023. Special Report NSF 23-315. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/wmpd.