STEM Career Spotlight: Statistician

By: Ishika Desai

Statisticians play a vital role in analyzing and interpreting data. Their work is used in various fields due to the expansive nature of their job and they play a vital role in solving real-world problems through their mathematical skills.

To become a statistician, you must have strong mathematical and analytical skills. Those involved in the field are expected to analyze and interpret data to identify relationships in sources of information, evaluate methods used to obtain data, and report statistical analysis results. The work of statisticians plays a role in every field, as the data they collect are used as resources for other fields. Some employers that use statisticians are the government, health, and manufacturing. The government employs statisticians to survey or evaluate data for different organizations under government jurisdiction. The health industry employs statisticians to design studies that test medicine or drugs for pharmaceutical companies. Lastly, the manufacturing industry utilizes statisticians to design experiments for product design testing. From the variety of industries statisticians are involved in, their average salary is $109,190.

Statisticians require extensive education. To prepare for this career in high school, students can invest themselves in advanced math classes like AP Statistics and calculus to expand their background in the area. Students can also join clubs like AMC to bring their mathematical reasoning to student-led competitions. In college, aspiring statisticians should receive a degree in statistics, but many also pursue master’s degrees in the subject as well. In higher education, students can gain internships with companies that heavily use data analysis in fields like finance or pharmacy to gain on-site experience of what the job entails. 

The jobs of statisticians play a vital role in understanding and interpreting data. Because of them, many industries are able to effectively utilize data to improve their product and the world. 

Works Cited

“15-2041 Statisticians.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes152041.htm. Accessed 1 November 2024.

“Statistician - College of Science.” Purdue University, https://www.purdue.edu/science/careers/what_can_i_do_with_a_major/Career%20Pages/statistician.html. Accessed 1 November 2024.