Data developed by the consultancy Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. show that in 2011 Washington State had the highest concentration of jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) occupations among the 50 states, lagging only the District of Columbia. In Washington, 11.5 percent of net jobs added between 2001 and 2011 were STEM-related. For the nation as a whole, STEM's share of job growth was 3.5 percent.

In absolute terms, Washington State added 36,362 STEM-related jobs from 2001 to 2011, while California and Massachusetts actually lost STEM jobs (18,996 and 9,569 respectively).

Not surprisingly, more than 70 percent of our STEM jobs are in the Seattle area. However, Benton is the county with the highest STEM consentration in the state, ranking 15th highest among counties nationwide.

(h/t Susannah Malarkey and Chris Rivera)