Wendy Koch

USA TODAY

Amid a U.S. push to get more students interested in science, technology and math, often called STEM, the Census Bureau reported Thursday that 74% of those with a bachelor's degree in these subjects don't work in STEM jobs.

The likelihood of landing a STEM job varies by major, ranging from half of those who focused on engineering, computers, math and statistics to only 26% of those who concentrated on physical science, 10% who majored in psychology and 7% who studied social science, according to data from the Census' 2012 American Community Survey.

"STEM graduates have relatively low unemployment; however, these graduates are not necessarily employed in STEM occupations," said Census sociologist Liana Christin Landivar.

Those with engineering degrees have the highest earnings, $92,900, and they're mostly men. Despite a push to get more women in the field, only 14% of engineers are women — the lowest share of any STEM major.

Women are better represented among mathematicians and statisticians (45%), life scientists (47%) and social scientists (47%), according to the Census. They're even more common among computer professionals, accounting for 24%.

Many engineering-focused colleges have dramatically boosted their enrollment of women by admitting them at higher rates. For example, 15% of women but 7% of men are admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and 20% of women but 9% of men are admitted to the California Institute of Technology, according to the website collegedata.com.

Women now make up about half of incoming students at several premier STEM schools, including Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., and the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass.

Census data show that the states with the largest share of STEM workers are Maryland (19%), Washington (18%) and Virginia (17%). The most popular college major is business, drawing 9.1 million graduates, while the lowest-paying major was visual and performing arts, earning an annual salary of $50,700.