Statisticians: Salary Overview
Statisticians develop and apply mathematical or statistical theory and methods to collect, summarize, and interpret numerical data in order to provide useful information about the field of research.
They typically specialize in a subfield, such as bio-statistics, business statistics, economic statistics, or agricultural statistics, depending on the type of data they analyze.
A statistician’s main role is to process data using computers and to identify trends and correlations between data.
After finishing their research, statisticians present their findings to clients through charts, tables, and graphs.
Their job responsibilities vary depending on the specialization.
Bio-statisticians apply mathematics and statistics to biology by collecting, summarizing, and interpreting data collected during research.
Their findings are later on applied in a variety of areas, including medicine and agriculture.
Other statisticians work for local, state, or federal governments.
Government statisticians collect, summarize, and interpret data about unemployment, wages, and other socioeconomic indicators.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for statisticians was $91,160 as of May 2019.
This means that half the workers in this profession made less than this and half earned more.
Salaries in this field vary depending upon the statistician’s level of experience, education, and the industry of employment.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $52,690 per year while the highest 10 percent made more than $146,770 per year.
Statistician Salary by Specialty
Statistician salaries vary depending on the field of expertise.
For example, according to careerexplorer.com, the average annual wage for bio-statisticians was $87,770 in 2018.
The same report shows that the lowest 20 percent of statisticians earned a salary close to $50,000 while the top 20 percent made close to $140,000 per year.
The average annual salary for business statisticians was $76,884 as of June 2019, according to glassdoor.com but wages in this field can be anywhere between $57,000 and more than $100,000.
Statistician Salary by Industry
Statisticians held about 44,400 jobs in 2018 in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Most of them worked in the field of research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences, for the federal government, in the field of healthcare and social assistance, for insurance carriers, and for colleges, universities, and professional schools.
The field of scientific research and development services employed approximately 6,000 statisticians in 2019 and offered an average annual wage of $100,660.
Approximately 4,330 statisticians worked for the federal executive branch and were paid, on average, with $108,310 per year.
The average annual wage for statisticians who worked for companies that provide management, scientific, and technical consulting services was $95,920.
General medical and surgical hospitals hired approximately 2,950 statisticians and paid them, on average, $83,080.
About 2,670 statisticians worked for state governments and were paid, on average, with $66,020 a year.
The best-paying employers for statisticians are manufacturers of semiconductors and other electronic components, a field where they earned on average, $122,510 per year.
However, this industry hired only 60 statisticians so finding employment in this sector can be hard.
Another field where you have better chances of earning a higher-than-average wage is the industry of nondepository credit intermediation.
This sector hired only 330 statisticians and paid them, on average, with $116,050 per year.
Job Prospects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment for statisticians is projected to grow 31 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations in the United States.
As many business rely on statistical analysis to make informed decisions more statisticians will be needed to collect, analyze, and interpret numerical data.
Having computer programming skills and knowing how to operate with new statistical methods and programming languages will give you an advantage over your competitors on the job market.
Communication skills are also very important in this profession and if you have the ability to interpret and present the data in a clear manner your job and earnings prospects as a statistician are expected to be good.
* Based on information from the May 2024 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Statisticians. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.