The United States holds a preeminent position in science and engineering (S&E) in the world, derived in large part from its long history of public and private investment in S&E research and development (R&D) and education. Investment in R&D, science, technology, and education correlate strongly with economic growth, as well the development of a safe, healthy, and well-educated society. Many other nations, recognizing the economic and social benefits of such investment, have increased their R&D and education spending. These trends are by now well-established and will challenge the world leadership role of the United States. The National Science Board has selected 30 S&E indicators for inclusion in this digest. These indicators have been grouped into seven topical areas. Although each stands alone, collectively these seven themes are a snapshot of U.S. R&D capacity and outputs in the context of global trends affecting them. Exploration of areas that indicate capacity for innovation is a thread common to many of the themes presented here. As economies worldwide grow increasingly knowledge-intensive and interdependent, capacity for innovation becomes ever more critical. This digest of major S&E indicators draws from the Board's Science and Engineering Indicators 2012, the 20th volume of this biennial series. The digest serves to draw attention to important trends and data points from across SEI 2012 and to introduce readers to the data resources available in the report. Readers are invited to explore each of the major indicators presented here in more detail in the full report. To that end, each indicator presented in this digest is matched with the SEI 2012 chapter or chapters from which it was drawn. [For the full report "Science and Engineering Indicators 2012. NSB 12-01", see ED528688 and for the "Science and Engineering Indicators 2012. Appendix Tables. NSB 12-01A", see ED528689.]