Biostatisticians
Develop and apply biostatistical theory and methods to the study of life sciences.
Also called: Biometrician · Biostatistical Consultant · Biostatistician · Research Scientist · Statistical Scientist
Median pay (national)
$103,300
$60,390–$170,700 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
29,800
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+8.5%
~2,000 openings/yr
Typical entry
Master's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for biostatisticians shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $170,700 versus $60,390 at the bottom 10% — 2.8x. The median of $103,300 leaves roughly 65% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +8.5% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 2,000 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 48 states with released data, New York pays the most for this role (median $150,240, +45% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $48,210 — a 212% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Mathematics
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Monitoring
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses.
- Analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques.
- Write detailed analysis plans and descriptions of analyses and findings for research protocols or reports.
- Calculate sample size requirements for clinical studies.
- Read current literature, attend meetings or conferences, and talk with colleagues to keep abreast of methodological or conceptual developments in fields such as biostatistics, pharmacology, life sciences, and social sciences.
- Design research studies in collaboration with physicians, life scientists, or other professionals.
- Prepare tables and graphs to present clinical data or results.
- Write program code to analyze data with statistical analysis software.
- Provide biostatistical consultation to clients or colleagues.
- Review clinical or other medical research protocols and recommend appropriate statistical analyses.
Tools & technology
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Python
- R
- SAP software
- SAS
- StataCorp Stata
- Statistical software
- Structured query language SQL
- Bash
- C#
- C++
- Extensible markup language XML
- Git
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management