A recent analysis published in SCIENCE magazine indicates that the U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D. holders since January 2025.
The article reports that this exodus accounted for 3 percent of the 335,192 federal workers who left in 2025.
Doctoral-trained professionals in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and health fields comprised 14 percent of the total federal workforce at the end of 2024.
The analysis further notes that 106,636 years of federal work experience were lost due to the departure of 10,019 employees with Ph.D.s from STEM or health roles between January 1 and November 30, 2025.
In 2024, 48,304 years of federal work experience were lost as 4,576 Ph.D.-holding employees left STEM positions by November 30, 2024.
The National Institutes of Health experienced the highest number of departures, with more than 1,100 compared to 41 in 2024.
Significant percentage increases in departures were also observed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Forest Service.
Overall, the number of STEM Ph.D.s at each agency was substantially lower than in the previous year.