Statistician essential career information:
- 2012 median pay: $75,560
- 2012, number of jobs: 25,570
- Employment growth forecast, 2010-2020: 14 percent
- Entry-level education requirements: Master’s degree
Statistician; what they do:
There is a rare breed of people who love both math and analyzing data; these individuals make excellent statisticians. Statisticians analyze and interpret data by using a variety of mathematical techniques. Their interpretations are used to draw conclusions and guide decisions for businesses, government, and other organizations.
Statisticians are responsible for first identifying a problem, determining what data are needed to address the problem, and then figuring out how to collect the needed data. Statisticians must also identify what group or sampling of people must be tapped for a census or poll.
If data is collected via surveys, experiments, or opinion polls, statisticians create, distribute, and collect them, or train someone else to do so. They also further test the data to determine its reliability and validity.
Statisticians study the results, identify trends and relationships, and record their conclusions, analysis, and recommendations. A statistician career often includes using specific statistical software to analyze data.
Statisticians are utilized in a variety of fields, such as education, marketing, psychology, sports, government, health, and manufacturing.
Statistician job titles:
- Sports Statistician
- Baseball Statistician
- Mathematical Statistician
- Medical Statistician
- Football Statistician
- Research Statistician
- Insurance Statistician
Statistician Education, Certification and License Requirements
A statistician career typically begins with a Master of Statistics, Master of Mathematics, or Master of Survey Methodology degree. Occasionally, a statistician may obtain an entry-level position with a bachelor degree, but a master’s degree is increasingly the standard. Research and academic statistician jobs usually require a Ph.D.
Statistician programs cover subjects such as:
- Integral calculus
- Statistical methods
- Mathematical modeling
- Probability theory
- Computer science
- Engineering
- Physical science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Health science
No specific certification or license is required for statisticians.
Career Advancement Opportunities
Statisticians may advance in their career through obtaining further education, such as a master degree or Ph.D., and then designing their own work. Some statisticians develop new statistical methods, while some statisticians become independent consultants.
Statistician Job Outlook
Forecast: 14 percent employment growth from 2010 to 2020 for statisticians, on par with the average for all occupations.
An increasing number of businesses will continue using statistical analysis to help guide their business decisions, which also increases the employment demand for statisticians. Furthermore, an increasing amount of data regularly becomes available via the Internet, creating more statistics for statisticians to study.
Noticeable growth in employment for statisticians is expected in government agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, and in research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences.
Statistician Salary
- 2012 median annual wage: $75,560
- 2012, workers at the 75th percentile annual wage: $99,340
- 2012, workers at the 25% percentile annual wage: $55,360
Statistician Employers
- Federal Government; excluding postal service
- Scientific research and development services
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private
- State government, excluding education and hospitals
- Insurance carriers
