Top 15 Career Options For Statistics Majors

What’s a degree in statistics good for? Turns out, a whole lot! There’s a whole host of careers that are in need of a statistician’s sharply analytical eye. Check out these 15 top career options for statistics majors to jumpstart your job search:

Business analyst: Sharpen your analytic skills in the business world as a business analyst, solving problems with a business’s systems by finding technical solutions. A business analyst will often work in the tech, marketing, or financial departments.

Auditor: Go through financial records with a fine tooth comb as an auditor, who ensures an organization’s financial operations are running as smoothly as possible. Auditors don’t typically need a post-graduate degree (like many other statistician careers require), and the media salary is about $69,000 a year.

Bioinformaticist: If you’re the easily bored type, bioinformatics may be a good choice for you, since it’s such an interdisciplinary field. In fact, Science magazine says there’s a “high demand for talented, experienced professionals at the crossroads of biology, statistics, and computer science.”

Operations research analyst: This career for problem solving statisticians comes in at number 2 on U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Business Jobs, so you know it’s got to be good. Help businesses run their operations more efficiently — and cost-effectively, too — by putting your data mining, mathematical modeling, and analysis skills to work.

Quality engineer: Keep a company’s products up to snuff as a quality engineer, who ensures the all quality standards are met. Also known as a quality assurance engineer, folks in this role can expect an average salary of $65,000.

Actuary: Fascinated by risky business? As an actuary, you’ll measure and predict the financial consequences that businesses or individuals may face when they take risks, often working in life insurance, healthcare, pensions, or enterprise risk management. The best part? Actuaries take home an impressive median pay of $96,700 a year.

Investment banker: Got money on the mind? Help companies or government entities strategize the best way to raise funds through the stock market as an investment banker. Plus, average salaries hover just under the six-figure mark. Not bad at all.

Market researcher: Give the people what they want! That’s what a market researcher helps a company do — market researchers study markets to determine what products people want, and how much they’re willing to pay for a product. The median salary is about $61,000 a year, and the role is projected to grow by nearly 20 percent over the next few years.

Statistical Engineer: Combine your love of stats and engineering in this exciting career role. As a statistical engineer, you’ll use the epic amount of data that’s generated about the engineering process to improve that process’s efficiency.

Economist: Any economy junkies in the house? As an economist, you’ll research complicated trends and analyze data to evaluate tough economic issues. While the median salary is pretty high at about $95,700, keep in mind that most economists hold Masters degrees or even PhDs.

Financial advisor: Keep a close watch on your clients’ finances — and, hopefully, help them grow — as a financial advisor. In addition to analytical finesse, you’ll need a personal touch, since you’ll be listening to your clients financial woes or dreams, and you need to be able to explain complicated financial topics in easy-to-understand terms.

Government statistician: You’ll be in good statistical company as a government statistician, since the government is one of the largest employers of statisticians in the nation. Departments like the Census Bureau and Department of Justice turn to statisticians to analyze everything from traffic congestion to crime spikes. Feel good knowing your work could have a more direct impact on policy decisions.

Industrial statistician: This is a career role that’s indispensible to delivering quality products to consumers. Using data analysis, an industrial statistician helps design products, manage the transition between design and production, all the while optimizing the process along the way.

Biostatistician: Biostatistics (also know as biometrics) is where statistics and biology meet. Biostatisticians are in charge of researching, designing studies, and analyzing the resultant data in fields like public heath and epidemiology.

Statistical consultant: A statistical consultant helps businesses or individuals analyze and interpret data. These consultants often work for larger statistical consulting companies, but you can go freelance too — perfect for an aspiring statistician that wants to work from home (or, let’s be real, from bed).

Know of any other great career options for stats majors? Share them with us in the comments below!