STEM pays more in the data—but jobs and majors are not the same thing

STEM pays more—but “STEM” means different things in different datasets

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports wages for STEM occupations. Georgetown CEW reports earnings for STEM majors among bachelor’s-only workers. A worker can be in either category without the other. National medians in EDsmart’s May 2026 extract: STEM occupations $103,580, non-STEM $48,000—about twice as high at the median (roughly 115% higher).

CEW: fields and recent graduates

Prime-age STEM bachelor’s-only workers median $98,000 vs $81,000 for all bachelor’s-only workers. Recent graduates (22–26) in STEM median $63,000. Computers, statistics, and mathematics degree production rose 159% from 2009 to 2023 while humanities fell 33%.

Unemployment among recent college graduates trended above all workers since May 2022, hitting 5.8% in March 2025 (Figure 12). Among recent grads pooled 2021–2023, computers/statistics/mathematics unemployment was 6.8% while education was 2.8%—but employed CS-related recent grads still reported about $79,000 median full-time earnings.

What students should infer

Long-run occupation wages favor STEM skills. Entry-level hiring can still be cyclical—especially in technology. Major choice, internship experience, and geography matter alongside the label “STEM.”

Life sciences majors often pursue graduate degrees before peak earnings; engineering majors may enter the workforce immediately. BLS STEM occupation lists include health technologists and exclude many K–12 teachers with science degrees. When policymakers fund “STEM scholarships,” read the fine print on eligible majors and occupations.

Regional tech hubs (Austin, Seattle, Research Triangle) show different unemployment spikes than the national CEW pool. Internship placement before senior year remains one of the strongest predictors of avoiding long job search after graduation.

Explore STEM vs non-STEM outcomes and article 18 on CS enrollment vs hiring.

Field-level detail inside STEM

CEW reports petroleum engineering at $146,000 prime-age median vs miscellaneous agriculture at $64,000 among STEM majors—a spread as wide as many cross-field comparisons. Biology majors often work in health or education jobs that are not classified as STEM occupations in BLS data even though the degree is STEM-coded in ACS.

Policy and workforce planning

Federal STEM initiatives often target engineering and computer pipelines. OEWS shows high wages in many STEM jobs, but hiring cycles can cool while degrees still rise. States linking aid to “high-demand” fields should update demand lists as wage and unemployment data refresh.

See BLS OEWS for occupation wages and The Major Payoff for major and unemployment detail.

BLS vs ACS definitions

BLS classifies jobs by STEM occupation codes. CEW classifies majors from ACS field of degree variables. A data scientist with a psychology degree counts in CEW as non-STEM major but may work in a STEM-coded occupation in OEWS. National “STEM shortage” stories often blend these definitions.

Use OEWS for hiring and wage projections by job title; use CEW for counseling students choosing majors.

STEM occupations vs STEM degrees

BLS OEWS defines STEM jobs across life sciences, IT, engineering, and mathematics. Many STEM workers do not hold STEM degrees (think IT managers with business backgrounds), and many STEM graduates work in education, finance, or law. National “STEM shortage” headlines often conflate enrollment growth with hiring freezes in specific tech subsectors.

Geography and security clearance

Defense and aerospace STEM hiring clusters around certain metros; biotech clusters on coasts. A national STEM median can mislead a student in a rural area without employer demand. Internships and co-op placement rates are stronger predictors of first-job success than major label alone.

Reading the wage spread in context

STEM occupation medians near $103,580 vs non-STEM near $48,000 reflect national aggregation across metros and experience levels. Healthcare STEM occupations (nursing, clinical lab) differ from software jobs in volatility and licensing requirements.

Students should not assume every STEM major leads to a STEM-coded job—or that non-STEM majors cannot reach six-figure incomes in management, sales, or entrepreneurship.

Federal STEM education grants and state scholarship programs use different major lists than BLS occupation codes. Read definitions before comparing “STEM shortage” headlines to your intended major.

Licensed professions (nursing, engineering, teaching) add exam and clinical requirements after the degree—starting salaries understate career paths that require graduate study or residency.

For data journalism, always label whether a chart shows occupations (BLS) or majors (CEW/Scorecard)—mixing them in one axis without labels has misled readers in past election cycles.

STEM story checklist

Label charts as occupations (BLS) or majors (CEW).

Separate life sciences, engineering, and IT hiring cycles.

Link to article 18 for CS enrollment vs hiring detail.

How this article fits The College Payoff, 2026

This piece is one of twenty companion articles to The College Payoff, 2026. The parent report synthesizes College Board Education Pays, Georgetown CEW, Census, BLS, College Scorecard, Federal Reserve SCF wealth tables, and EDsmart institution-level findings. Each breakout answers one question journalists and families ask when those sources are quoted side by side.

When federal sources update on different calendars, start from the parent report’s definitions section, then return here for the topic-specific FAQ. Interactive tables and state pages on EDsmart Data—tuition trends, debt-to-earnings by major, attainment by state, STEM outcomes—let you filter national benchmarks beyond what a single government table provides.

If a number here differs from a chart in the parent report, use the parent report and the underlying federal publication as the authority. Breakouts explain how to read those sources; they are not a separate dataset.