Statistics: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Statistics is a rigorous academic discipline centered on the systematic analysis of data to uncover patterns, relationships, and meaningful insights across diverse fields. It leverages mathematical foundations in probability to interpret variability, make informed inferences, and support decision-making in research, industry, and public policy.
- Probability Theory: The core framework for quantifying uncertainty and modeling random phenomena, forming the basis for statistical inference and predictive modeling.
- Regression Analysis: A method for examining the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables, enabling prediction and causal interpretation.
- Standard Deviation: A measure of data dispersion that quantifies the spread of observations around the mean, essential for assessing variability and reliability.
- Sampling Theory: The study of how to select representative subsets from populations to ensure valid and generalizable statistical conclusions.
- Binomial Distribution: A discrete probability distribution that models the number of successes in a fixed number of independent trials with two possible outcomes.
- Stochastic Processes: Mathematical models describing systems that evolve over time in a probabilistic manner, used in finance, engineering, and biological systems.
- Monte Carlo Method: A computational technique that uses random sampling to estimate complex mathematical results, particularly useful in simulations and risk analysis.
- Bayesian Statistics: An approach that updates probabilities based on new evidence, incorporating prior knowledge to refine statistical conclusions.
- Non-Parametric Statistics: A class of methods that do not assume a specific distribution for data, offering robust alternatives when traditional assumptions are violated.
- Statistical Techniques: A broad set of analytical tools and procedures for data collection, organization, interpretation, and visualization across scientific and applied domains.
Statistics Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Statistics Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Statistics degrees, including Natural Sciences Managers, Actuaries and Data Scientists. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 448,990 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers 11-9121 | $161,180 | $79,830 - $239,200 | 100,870 | $77.49 |
| Actuaries 15-2011 | $125,770 | $75,240 - $206,430 | 28,340 | $60.47 |
| Data Scientists 15-2051 | $112,590 | $63,650 - $194,410 | 233,440 | $54.13 |
| Statisticians 15-2041 | $103,300 | $60,390 - $170,700 | 29,800 | $49.66 |
| Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1022 | $79,350 | $48,150 - $161,020 | 48,820 | N/A |
| Survey Researchers 19-3022 | $63,380 | $36,950 - $118,730 | 7,720 | $30.47 |
Statistics Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $75,955 in Louisiana to $133,437 in California—a 76% difference. The highest-paying states include California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 448,990 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Statistics by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Statistics programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Statistics is found at University of California (UCSB), Santa Barbara (405 graduates), Columbia University in the City of New York (401 graduates), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) (311 graduates), University of California (UCD), Davis (287 graduates), and University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles (271 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 7,083 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California (UCSB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
405 | Santa Barbara, California | Public | ucsb.edu |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
401 | New York, New York | Private | columbia.edu |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
311 | Champaign, Illinois | Public | illinois.edu |
| University of California (UCD) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
287 | Davis, California | Public | ucdavis.edu |
| University of California (UCLA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
271 | Los Angeles, California | Public | ucla.edu |
| Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
182 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Private | cmu.edu |
| University of Virginia (UVA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
178 | Charlottesville, Virginia | Public | virginia.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Other Award
|
173 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| University of California (UCB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
166 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeley.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
164 | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Public | newbrunswick.rutgers.edu |
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
163 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| North Carolina State University (NC State) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
150 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Public | ncsu.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
143 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| Emory University |
Bachelor's
|
135 | Atlanta, Georgia | Private | emory.edu |
| Johns Hopkins University (JHU) |
Master's
|
135 | Baltimore, Maryland | Private | jhu.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Other Award
|
133 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Residency
|
129 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
124 | Storrs, Connecticut | Public | uconn.edu |
| Duke University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
121 | Durham, North Carolina | Private | duke.edu |
| University of Chicago (UChicago) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
108 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | uchicago.edu |
| Cornell University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
100 | Ithaca, New York | Private | cornell.edu |
| Harvard University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
98 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Private | harvard.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
90 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
| University of Washington (UW) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
90 | Seattle, Washington | Public | washington.edu |
| Florida State University (FSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
85 | Tallahassee, Florida | Public | fsu.edu |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
83 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
83 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | worldcampus.psu.edu |
| Yale University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
81 | New Haven, Connecticut | Private | yale.edu |
| Boston University (BU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
79 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | bu.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
78 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| Ohio State University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
77 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
| Northwestern University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
73 | Evanston, Illinois | Private | northwestern.edu |
| University of Central Florida (UCF) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
70 | Orlando, Florida | Public | ucf.edu |
| University of Missouri (Mizzou) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Other Award
|
68 | Columbia, Missouri | Public | missouri.edu |
| Stanford University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
68 | Stanford, California | Private | stanford.edu |
| Western Illinois University (WIU) |
Master's
|
65 | Macomb, Illinois | Public | wiu.edu |
| Rice University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
65 | Houston, Texas | Private | rice.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
61 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| California State University (CSUEB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
60 | Hayward, California | Public | csueastbay.edu |
| Iowa State University (ISU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
60 | Ames, Iowa | Public | iastate.edu |
| Purdue University (PU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
52 | West Lafayette, Indiana | Public | purdue.edu |
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
50 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | calpoly.edu |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
48 | New York, New York | Public | baruch.cuny.edu |
| Southern Methodist University (SMU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
48 | Dallas, Texas | Private | smu.edu |
| University of Rochester |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
47 | Rochester, New York | Private | rochester.edu |
| Miami University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
47 | Oxford, Ohio | Public | miamioh.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
44 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| Washington University in St Louis (WashU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
42 | Saint Louis, Missouri | Private | wustl.edu |
| San Diego State University (SDSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
41 | San Diego, California | Public | sdsu.edu |
| New York University (NYU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
39 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| University of Pittsburgh |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
38 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Public | pitt.edu |
| Kansas State University (K‑State) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
36 | Manhattan, Kansas | Public | k-state.edu |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
36 | Provo, Utah | Private | byu.edu |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
36 | Blacksburg, Virginia | Public | vt.edu |
| Grand Valley State University (GVSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
35 | Allendale, Michigan | Public | gvsu.edu |
| Utah State University (USU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
35 | Logan, Utah | Public | usu.edu |
| Colorado State University (CSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
34 | Fort Collins, Colorado | Public | colostate.edu |
| University of South Florida (USF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
34 | Tampa, Florida | Public | usf.edu |
| University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
33 | Chicago, Illinois | Public | uic.edu |
| Grand Canyon University (GCU) |
Master's
|
31 | Phoenix, Arizona | Private | gcu.edu |
| University of California (UCI) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
31 | Irvine, California | Public | uci.edu |
| George Washington University (GW) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
30 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | gwu.edu |
| University of Delaware (UD) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
29 | Newark, Delaware | Public | udel.edu |
| The University of Tennessee |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
29 | Knoxville, Tennessee | Public | utk.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
29 | Richardson, Texas | Public | utdallas.edu |
| University of California (UCR) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
28 | Riverside, California | Public | ucr.edu |
| Temple University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
28 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Public | temple.edu |
| Williams College |
Bachelor's
|
27 | Williamstown, Massachusetts | Private | williams.edu |
| The University of Texas (UTSA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
27 | San Antonio, Texas | Public | utsa.edu |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
26 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| Oklahoma State University (OSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
26 | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Public | okstate.edu |
| University of Iowa |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
25 | Iowa City, Iowa | Public | uiowa.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMBC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
25 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | umbc.edu |
| Central Michigan University (CMU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
25 | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | Public | cmich.edu |
| Wake Forest University (WFC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
24 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Private | wfu.edu |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center |
Master's
|
23 | New York, New York | Public | gc.cuny.edu |
| National University (NU) |
Master's
|
21 | San Diego, California | Private | nu.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMCP) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | College Park, Maryland | Public | umd.edu |
| University of South Carolina (USC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | Columbia, South Carolina | Public | sc.edu |
| University of Kentucky (UK) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
20 | Lexington, Kentucky | Public | uky.edu |
| Villanova University |
Bachelor's
|
20 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | Private | villanova.edu |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU) |
Master's
|
20 | West Chester, Pennsylvania | Public | wcupa.edu |
| University of Wisconsin (UWL) |
Bachelor's
|
20 | La Crosse, Wisconsin | Public | uwlax.edu |
| San Francisco State University (SFSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
19 | San Francisco, California | Public | sfsu.edu |
| Amherst College |
Bachelor's
|
19 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Private | amherst.edu |
| Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
19 | Cleveland, Ohio | Private | case.edu |
| California State University (CSULB) |
Bachelor's
|
18 | Long Beach, California | Public | csulb.edu |
| Indiana University (IUB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
18 | Bloomington, Indiana | Public | indiana.edu |
| Western Michigan University (WMU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
18 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Public | wmich.edu |
| Oregon State University (OSU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
18 | Corvallis, Oregon | Public | oregonstate.edu |
| University of Colorado Boulder (CU) |
Bachelor's
|
17 | Boulder, Colorado | Public | colorado.edu |
| Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) |
Master's
|
17 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gatech.edu |
| University at Buffalo (UB) |
Bachelor's
|
17 | Buffalo, New York | Public | buffalo.edu |
| George Mason University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
17 | Fairfax, Virginia | Public | www2.gmu.edu |
| American University (AU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Other Award
|
16 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | american.edu |
| North Dakota State University (NDSU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
16 | Fargo, North Dakota | Public | ndsu.edu |
| University of Arizona |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
15 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
| California State University (CSUF) |
Master's
|
15 | Fullerton, California | Public | fullerton.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
15 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| Carleton College |
Bachelor's
|
15 | Northfield, Minnesota | Private | carleton.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Statistics programs
How much can I earn with a Statistics degree?
Salaries for Statistics graduates vary by role and location. Natural Sciences Managers earn a median of $161,180 annually, while Actuaries earn around $125,770. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in California average $133,437 compared to $75,955 in Louisiana. Approximately 448,990 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Statistics programs?
Currently 202 accredited institutions offer Statistics degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include University of California (UCSB), Santa Barbara (405 graduates), Columbia University in the City of New York (401 graduates), and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) (311 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Statistics growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 2,758 in 2010 to a peak of 8,269 in 2020, before declining slightly to 7,709 in 2023-24. This represents a 180% increase overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Statistics degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Natural Sciences Managers, Actuaries, and Data Scientists. Related occupations employ approximately 448,990 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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