Biostatisticians
Health ScienceO*NET 15-2041.01United States
Develop and apply biostatistical theory and methods to the study of life sciences.
- Median annual earnings
- $105,040
- Projected change
- +9.8%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 32.82K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
58.3% of the workforce
Growing to 36.04K by 2035
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The work
What biostatisticians do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Draw conclusions or make predictions, based on data summaries or statistical analyses.
- Write detailed analysis plans and descriptions of analyses and findings for research protocols or reports.
- Analyze clinical or survey data, using statistical approaches such as longitudinal analysis, mixed-effect modeling, logistic regression analyses, and model-building techniques.
- 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.
- Prepare tables and graphs to present clinical data or results.
- Design research studies in collaboration with physicians, life scientists, or other professionals.
- 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.
- Prepare statistical data for inclusion in reports to data monitoring committees, federal regulatory agencies, managers, or clients.
- Determine project plans, timelines, or technical objectives for statistical aspects of biological research studies.
- Develop or implement data analysis algorithms.
- Prepare articles for publication or presentation at professional conferences.
- Plan or direct research studies related to life sciences.
- Monitor clinical trials or experiments to ensure adherence to established procedures or to verify the quality of data collected.
- Write research proposals or grant applications for submission to external bodies.
- Design or maintain databases of biological data.
- Collect data through surveys or experimentation.
- Apply research or simulation results to extend biological theory or recommend new research projects.
- Assign work to biostatistical assistants or programmers.
- Develop or use mathematical models to track changes in biological phenomena, such as the spread of infectious diseases.
- Analyze archival data, such as birth, death, and disease records.
- Design surveys to assess health issues.
- Teach graduate or continuing education courses or seminars in biostatistics.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $63,315
- 25th percentile
- $81,549
- 50th percentile
- $105,040
- 75th percentile
- $141,737
- 90th percentile
- $175,355
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $105,040 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+9.8%faster than average
202532,818 jobs
2035 projected36,035 jobs
3,217 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 58.3%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 29.2%
- Bachelor's degree
- 12.5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Biostatisticians1,006 postings
- 02Directors of Biostatistics894 postings
- 03Principal Biostatisticians894 postings
- 04Biostatistics Managers181 postings
- 05Statistical Programming Managers157 postings
- 06Psychometricians134 postings
- 07World Directors126 postings
- 08Associate Directors of Statistical Programming118 postings
- 09Programmers107 postings
- 10Directors of Statistics89 postings
- 11Biostatisticians/Epidemiologists70 postings
- 12Research Principals60 postings
- 13Statistical Programmers58 postings
- 14Software Solutions Managers54 postings
- 15Postdoctoral Fellows51 postings
- 16Statistics Managers44 postings
- 17Lead Biostatisticians43 postings
- 18Biometricians42 postings
- 19Biostatistics Interns42 postings
- 20Research Biostatisticians40 postings
Top employers
- 01Cytel883 postings
- 02Parexel311 postings
- 03Otsuka America157 postings
- 04Edwards Lifesciences156 postings
- 05inVentiv Health154 postings
- 06AbbVie97 postings
- 07Merck & Co.79 postings
- 08Regeneron Pharmaceuticals75 postings
- 09Sanofi54 postings
- 10Amgen51 postings
- 11Pearson Education51 postings
- 12Gilead Sciences49 postings
- 13Psi Services49 postings
- 14Stiftelsen Norstella48 postings
- 15Sumitomo Pharma47 postings
- 16CSL46 postings
- 17Green Key Resources46 postings
- 18Travere Therapeutics40 postings
- 19Sarepta Therapeutics38 postings
- 20Bristol-Myers Squibb36 postings
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