Alumni Impact Study > Part Two
Black Bear alumni have an outsized role in the management of Maine’s businesses, industries, and public-sector entities.
Employment by Industry
Though Black Bears make up five percent of Maine’s working-age adults (22-69 years of age), they have a disproportionately high presence in several industry sectors of the state’s economy.
- 10,737 (18% of Maine’s statewide total) in Educational Services
- 4,536 (16% of Maine’s statewide total) in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- 2,158 (9% of Maine’s statewide total) in Finance and Insurance
- 1,214 (17% of Maine’s statewide total) in Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
Occupational Roles
Not surprisingly, a large percentage of Black Bear alumni hold senior leadership roles in their employment fields.
- 10,062 hold management positions (29% of Maine’s statewide total)
- 3,061 hold positions as non-management architects and engineers (31% of Maine’s statewide total)
- 6,173 are classroom teachers, ed techs, or librarians (15% of Maine’s statewide total)
- 2,840 hold non-management positions in business and financial positions (11% of Maine’s statewide total)
Where UMaine Alumni Work
Nearly 32,000 working-age Black Bear alumni are currently employed in Maine in a wide range of industry sectors. Of the 32,000 Black Bear alumni in the Maine workforce, 31% hold management positions in their respective business, industry, or field.
The industry category with the second-most number of Black Bears, educational instruction and libraries, comprises 19% of all alumni in Maine.
While the other half of Black Bear alumni work in non-management and non-teaching positions, they comprise a higher than average percentage of those who
work in those industries. For example, though 10% of working Black Bear alumni are employed as non-managers in architecture and engineering, they make up 31% of all Mainers in that industry category.
Entrepreneurs and Innovators
More than 10,000 existing businesses in Maine were founded by at least one Black Bear. The study estimates that more than 26,000 Mainers are employed by these businesses.
That total does not include pre-existing businesses that are now owned and/or led by one or more Black Bears, nor does it include the employees of such businesses.
Black Bears have a history of being innovators as well as entrepreneurs. More than half of all Black Bear alumni have been directly involved in activities that created new products, new technologies, business and professional standards, and published research that are critical to problem-solving and/or job creation.
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Study conducted by
The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center
Underwritten by
Additional support provided by
