Activities	Engages in the development of mathematical theory or apply statistical theory and methods to collect, organize, interpret, and summarize numerical biological data to provide usable information.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$72,830 in 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Usually work regular hours in comfortable offices. Some statisticians travel to provide advice on research projects, supervise and set up surveys, or gather statistical data.
Minimum Education Requirements	Master's Degree
Skills	Programming, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Active Listening, Writing, Time Management, Mathematics, Systems Evaluation, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science
Abilities	Speed of Closure, Number Facility, Category Flexibility, Deductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Mathematical Reasoning, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning, Written Expression
Interviews	Richard Simon

Job Category		Computer & Mathematical
Job Description		Statistics is the scientific application of mathematical principles to the collection, analysis, and presentation of numerical data. Biostatisticians contribute to scientific inquiry by applying their mathematical knowledge to the design of surveys and experiments; collection, processing, and analysis of data; and interpretation of the results. Many applications cannot occur without the use of statistical techniques, such as designing experiments to gain Federal approval of a newly manufactured drug. One technique that is especially useful to statisticians is sampling -- obtaining information about a population of people or group of things by surveying a small portion of the total. Statisticians decide where and how to gather the data, determine the type and size of the sample group, and develop the survey questionnaire or reporting form. They also prepare instructions for workers who will collect and tabulate the data. Statisticians analyze, interpret, and summarize the data using computer software. In business and industry, biostatisticians play an important role in quality control and product development and improvement. Working for a pharmaceutical company, statisticians might develop and evaluate the results of clinical trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of new medications. Numerous statisticians are employed by nearly every government agency. For example, they may work for scientific, environmental, and agricultural agencies and may help to determine the amount of pesticides in drinking water, the number of endangered species living in a particular area, or the number of people afflicted with a particular disease.
Working Conditions		Biostatisticians usually work regular hours in comfortable offices. Some statisticians travel to provide advice on research projects, supervise and set up surveys, or gather statistical data. Some may have duties that vary widely, such as designing experiments or performing fieldwork in various communities. Statisticians who work in academia generally have a mix of teaching and research responsibilities.
Salary Range		The median annual wage of statisticians was $72,830 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,090 and the top 10 percent earned more than $119,100.   In March 2011, the average annual salary in the federal government was $95,695 for statisticians and $108,868 for mathematical statisticians.

Education Required		Many colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in statistics. A bachelor’s degree in statistics is not needed to enter a graduate program, although significant training in mathematics is essential. Required subjects for a bachelor’s degree in statistics include differential and integral calculus, statistical methods, mathematical modeling, and probability theory. Because statisticians use and write computer programs for many calculations, a strong background in computer science is helpful. Training in engineering or physical science is useful for statisticians working in manufacturing on quality control or productivity improvement. A background in biology, chemistry, or health sciences is useful for work involving testing pharmaceutical or agricultural products.
Recommended High School Courses		Computers and Electronics, Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computers and Electronics
Certification and Licensing

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Independence Work alone.
Skills		Programming Write computer programs for various purposes. Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Instructing Teach others how to do something. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Mathematics Use math to solve problems. Systems Evaluation Look at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Complex Problem Solving Solving novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Abilities		Speed of Closure Make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns. Number Facility Able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide quickly and correctly. Category Flexibility Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Written Comprehension Able to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer). Mathematical Reasoning Able to understand and organize mathematical problems and to know which mathematical methods or formulas to use to solve them. Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Written Expression Able to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Related Jobs		Biomedical Engineer, Engineer, Chemical, Administrator, Medical Database
Job Outlook		Employment of statisticians is projected to grow 14 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.  Growth will result from more widespread use of statistical analysis to make informed decisions. In addition, the large increase in available data from the Internet will open up new areas for analysis.   Government agencies will employ more statisticians to improve the quality of the data available for policy analysis. This occupation will also see growth in research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences, where statisticians' skills in designing tests and assessing results prove highly useful. Statisticians will continue to be needed in the pharmaceutical industry. As pharmaceutical companies develop new treatments and medical technologies, biostatisticians will be needed to do research and conduct clinical trials. Research and testing are necessary to help companies obtain approval for their products from the Food and Drug Administration.
More Information		American Statistical Association
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Statisticians, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/statisticians.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/15-2041.00