Biostatisticians

Biostatisticians often work in teams of health professionals and are commonly employed by federal, state, and local governments. Biostatisticians may also be contracted or hired by pharmaceutical companies, research organizations, universities, hospitals, or other health care institutions. They usually work in office settings, though they may go into the community to collect data.

Median annual salary: $122,542

Entry-level annual salary: $78,476

Statisticians are expected to grow statewide by 12% between 2022 and 2032, with 129 average annual openings.

Most statisticians have a background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with about half earning a master’s degree and about half earning a Doctoral degree. In addition to statistics courses, biostatisticians will also have course work related to health care.

Licensure or certification is not necessary for biostatisticians. During the course of a biostatistician’s career, Institutional Board Certification (IRB) certification for research with human subjects and for working with classified data may be necessary. Additionally, biostatisticians can be certified through the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

Financial support is available through a variety of federal, state, and private sources. Check with your college or university on the availability of financial aid as well as other potential sources of financial support.