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Statistics Degree

51 schools compared · Average earnings $63,187/yr

Students study the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, including probability theory, regression analysis, experimental design, and statistical computing. Graduates typically pursue careers as statisticians, data scientists, biostatisticians, actuaries, and survey researchers in healthcare, technology, government, and finance. Data-driven decision making has made statistics one of the most in-demand and highest-paying quantitative fields.

What Statistics Graduates Do

Your statistics degree is a toolkit for finding the signal in the noise. As a data scientist, you'll spend your days cleaning messy, real-world data, building predictive models to forecast customer behavior, and translating those complex findings into clear actions for non-technical teams. In an actuarial role, you’ll use similar skills to calculate financial risk for insurance companies, directly influencing how policies are priced.

Early in your career, you’ll focus on this hands-on analysis. With experience, you can progress to lead entire data science teams or become a natural sciences manager overseeing a research division. While roles like data scientist and actuary are growing exceptionally fast, be aware that more traditional academic and survey research positions face significant headwinds.

Let's be direct about AI: its impact here is high. AI is already automating much of the routine data cleaning and initial model building that once defined junior-level work. This is shrinking the number of classic entry-level jobs. Your durable value will lie in architecting the analytical systems, critically evaluating AI-generated outputs, and making the final, high-stakes judgment calls that machines cannot.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$63,187/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

56/100

AI Automation Risk

Very High

64% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Statistics graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 41,500 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Natural sciences managers	$161,180 $114K$215K	8,500	+3.7%	50%
Actuaries	$125,770 $91K$165K	2,400	+21.8%	50%
Mathematicians	$121,680 $86K$153K	100	-0.7%	100%
Data scientists	$112,590 $83K$156K	23,400	+33.5%	64%
Statisticians	$103,300 $79K$138K	2,000	+8.5%	66%
Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary	$79,350 $61K$106K	4,400	+2.3%	54%
Survey researchers	$63,380 $46K$85K	700	-5.2%	62%

Natural sciences managers

$161,180

$114K $215K

8,500 openings/yr +3.7% growth 50% AI risk

Actuaries

$125,770

$91K $165K

2,400 openings/yr +21.8% growth 50% AI risk

Mathematicians

$121,680

$86K $153K

100 openings/yr -0.7% growth 100% AI risk

Data scientists

$112,590

$83K $156K

23,400 openings/yr +33.5% growth 64% AI risk

Statisticians

$103,300

$79K $138K

2,000 openings/yr +8.5% growth 66% AI risk

Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary

$79,350

$61K $106K

4,400 openings/yr +2.3% growth 54% AI risk

Survey researchers

$63,380

$46K $85K

700 openings/yr -5.2% growth 62% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Statistics

Top 20 of 51 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA	75 69–76	$83,227/yr	23.5x
2	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	72 67–73	$72,579/yr	23.4x
3	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	72 66–73	$63,671/yr	40.5x
4	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	70 65–71	$59,619/yr	35.2x
5	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	69 64–70	$68,636/yr	15.4x
6	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	68 64–69	$141,116/yr	8.7x
7	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	68 62–69	$64,371/yr	14.3x
8	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA	67 62–68	$73,991/yr	11.9x
9	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	67 61–68	$59,718/yr	16.1x
10	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	67 62–68	$55,110/yr	17.5x
11	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	66 61–67	$63,649/yr	13.7x
12	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	66 60–67	$54,026/yr	21.0x
13	Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA	65 59–66	$93,111/yr	5.1x
14	University of Georgia Athens, GA	65 59–66	$53,743/yr	17.8x
15	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	65 59–66	$49,264/yr	16.6x
16	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL	65 60–66	$47,347/yr	35.5x
17	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	64 58–65	$66,434/yr	11.6x
18	Duke University Durham, NC	63 58–64	$97,197/yr	3.6x
19	University of Chicago Chicago, IL	63 58–64	$82,681/yr	4.5x
20	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN	63 57–64	$56,435/yr	13.5x
21	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA	61 55–62	$62,598/yr	11.0x
22	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	59 54–60	$75,095/yr	16.1x
23	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	59 53–60	$55,279/yr	10.0x
24	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	59 53–60	$55,279/yr	10.0x
25	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT	59 53–60	$55,279/yr	10.0x
26	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	59 53–60	$55,279/yr	10.0x
27	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	58 52–59	$58,920/yr	22.1x
28	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	57 51–58	$55,279/yr	8.4x
29	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	57 56–58	$41,285/yr	26.7x
30	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	56 50–57	$57,734/yr	16.4x
31	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	55 50–57	$69,543/yr	12.7x
32	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	55 50–56	$64,684/yr	13.4x
33	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	55 52–56	$43,668/yr	12.3x
34	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	52 48–53	$129,732/yr	3.9x
35	Iowa State University Ames, IA	51 45–52	$53,132/yr	11.7x
36	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	50 45–51	$63,477/yr	8.2x
37	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	49 44–50	$61,702/yr	7.7x
38	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	48 43–49	$82,531/yr	2.1x
39	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	48 42–49	$60,765/yr	5.9x
40	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	47 42–48	$77,917/yr	2.0x
41	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	47 42–48	$76,759/yr	2.0x
42	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO	47 42–48	$52,088/yr	8.2x
43	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	47 42–48	$49,427/yr	9.3x
44	Utah State University Logan, UT	47 43–48	$45,240/yr	11.3x
45	Smith College Northampton, MA	45 40–46	$69,250/yr	1.8x
46	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH	45 41–46	$47,689/yr	8.3x
47	Emory University Atlanta, GA	43 38–44	$60,714/yr	1.5x
48	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL	34 35–35	$38,296/yr	5.7x
49	University of South Alabama Mobile, AL	34 39–35	$32,181/yr	12.4x
50	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA	32 34–33	$36,676/yr	5.0x
51	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA	23 28–24	$29,138/yr	4.1x

Highest Earning Statistics Programs

Schools where Statistics graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Harvard University	$141,116/yr	68
University of Pennsylvania	$129,732/yr	52
Duke University	$97,197/yr	63
Carnegie Mellon University	$93,111/yr	65
University of California-Berkeley	$83,227/yr	75
University of Chicago	$82,681/yr	63
Cornell University	$82,531/yr	48
Northwestern University	$77,917/yr	47
Southern Methodist University	$76,759/yr	47
University of Iowa	$75,095/yr	59

Best ROI for Statistics

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Statistics.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Brigham Young University	40.5x	$63,671/yr	72
Florida State University	35.5x	$47,347/yr	65
University of Florida	35.2x	$59,619/yr	70
University of South Florida	26.7x	$41,285/yr	57
University of California-Berkeley	23.5x	$83,227/yr	75
Purdue University-Main Campus	23.4x	$72,579/yr	72
University of Central Florida	22.1x	$58,920/yr	58
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	21.0x	$54,026/yr	66
University of Georgia	17.8x	$53,743/yr	65
University of California-Santa Barbara	17.5x	$55,110/yr	67

Want to compare two Statistics programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Statistics offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Statistics graduates earn?

Across 51 schools, Statistics graduates earn an average of $63,187 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $29,138 to $141,116 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Statistics?

Statistics is rated "Very High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 64% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Statistics program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of California-Berkeley ranks #1 for Statistics with a score of 75/100 and graduate earnings of $83,227/yr.

What's the outlook for a Statistics degree?

On average, Statistics graduates earn 12.5x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →