Statisticians
in the
Federal Government
Prepared by:
Ron Fecso, Chief Statistician, NSF/SRS
Tiffany Olson, JPSM Intern, NSF/SRS
Presented at Careers in Statistic Panel for Teachers in High Schools and Two Year Colleges at the Joint Statistical Meeting 2006
Why statistics?
Versatile
 Statistician consistently ranks as one of the
nation’s best jobs
 Great compensation

Why work as a statistician for the
federal government?

The federal government employs 20% of the
approximately 19,000 statisticians in the United States.

Data collected and analyzed by statisticians in the
federal government are used to make important policy
decisions.

Statisticians are employed in nearly every federal agency,
offering a large variety of opportunities.

The federal government employs statisticians with
bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees.
What can you do as a statistician for
the federal government?




Survey design and methodology
Field work and data analysis
Clinical trial analysis
Reliability and quality control
There are also many positions that use statistics
but have a title other than “statistician” and
don’t necessarily require a degree in statistics.
Where can you work in the
federal government?
Where can you work in the federal government?
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Non-laboratory setting


Review and evaluate new drug applications
Research setting

Design and analyze complex short term and
long term studies
Where can you work in the federal government?
Bureau of Labor Statistics


Produce important economic indicators such as
the Unemployment Rate and the Consumer
Price Index
Job tasks include:
Sampling frame development and refinement
 Survey design
 Measuring and improving the quality of data
 Serving as a consultant

Where can you work in the federal government?
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Statisticians



Produce seasonal estimates of commodities such as
macadamia nuts in Hawaii
Use survey statistics, mathematical statistics, and data
processing to prepare data relating to many areas of
agriculture
Mathematical Statisticians

Research and evaluate the theory and statistical programs
used in studies applied to various agricultural survey activities
What statistics does the USDA Produce?
Maps detailing the acres of
farmland fertilized
Charts showing the price
of cheddar cheese
Where can you work in the federal government?
U.S. Census Bureau

Statistician (Concentration on Social Science)


Statistician (Concentration on Economics)


Design, implement, analyze and report on surveys
of important population trends
Collect information from retailers on the amount of
retail trade
Mathematical Statistician

Develop new statistical methodologies and perform
innovative research to solve statistical problems
Where can you work in the federal government?
National Institutes of Health

NIH employs Ph.D.
or experienced
master’s level
statisticians to design
and analyze clinical
trials.
Where can you work in the federal government?
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention

CDC employs
statisticians to design
both laboratory and
epidemiologic studies
and analyze the data
from individual projects.
Compensation
Question: How much money can I make
as a statistician?
Answer: That depends on several
important factors:
 Education
level
 Experience
 Managerial duties
Salary comparison
Average Annual Salaries*
Federal Government Statisticians
Statisticians
$81,262
Mathematical Statisticians
$91,466
Other Professions
Lawyers
$94,930
Actuaries
$76,340
Family Practice Physicians
* Data for Federal Government Statisticians is from 2005, all other data are from 2004
$156,000
ASA 2003 salary report
(Federal government responses)
Annual Salaries ($) of Statisticians With No Managerial
Responsibility
Years of
Experience
0-1.9
2-3.9
4-7.9
8-11.9
12-19.9
20+
Annual Salaries ($) of Statisticians With Managerial
Responsibility
Highest
Degree
N
Years of
Experience
Highest
Degree
N
BS
18
42,000
BS
0
-
MS
15
58,000
MS
4
-
PhD
5
-
PhD
2
-
BS
19
54,000
BS
0
-
MS
27
67,000
MS
2
-
PhD
9
67,000
PhD
4
-
BS
27
67,000
BS
4
-
MS
32
67,000
MS
19
76,000
PhD
6
67,000
PhD
12
76,000
BS
7
76,000
BS
5
-
MS
15
76,000
MS
5
-
PhD
4
-
PhD
2
-
BS
12
69,000
BS
15
76,000
MS
33
78,000
MS
38
88,500
PhD
5
-
PhD
14
125,000
BS
8
70,000
BS
23
92,000
MS
27
89,000
MS
52
101,000
PhD
9
112,000
PhD
17
142,000
Median
0-1.9
2-3.9
4-7.9
8-11.9
12-19.9
20+
- Insufficient data to conceal the identities of those sampled
Median
Sources
Source
URL
Information
Wall Street Journal www.CareerJournal.com
http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/change/20020507
-lee.html
Job ranking - statistics consistently scores
in top 10 careers
BLS Statistician occupation info
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos045.htm
Occupational Outlook Handbook
US FDA Statistician Positions
http://www.fda.gov/jobs/statistician.htm
Description of FDA statistician positions
BLS Who Do We Hire? Webpage
http://www.bls.gov/eop/peoplebox1.htm
Description of BLS Mathematical
Statistician and others
US Department of Agriculture - Career
Opportunities
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Contact_Us/Opportunities/Agricu
ltural%20Statistics/index.asp
Agricultural Statistician Career
Opportunities
US Department of Agriculture - Career
Opportunities
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Contact_Us/Opportunities/Mathe
matical%20Statistics/index.asp
Mathematical Statistician Career
Opportunities
US Department of Agriculture - Employment
Announcement
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Contact_Us/Opportunities/NASS
_Employment_Application.pdf
explains duties of Agricultural Statistician
and Mathematical Statistician
US Census Bureau - Job summary and
qualifications
http://www.census.gov/hrd/www/jobs/ssdmstat.html
Statistician (Concentration on Social
Science)
US Census Bureau - Job summary and
qualifications
http://www.census.gov/hrd/www/jobs/econstat.html
Statistician (Concentration on Economics)
US Census Bureau - Job summary and
qualifications
http://www.census.gov/hrd/www/jobs/mathstat.html
Math Statistician
NIH 2006 Job Fair
http://www.training.nih.gov/onlineapps/jobfair/application/pa
rticipantDetails.asp?participantId=112
Description of Statistician in clinical
research
CDC NIOSH Statistical Occupation
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/employ/1530.html
CDC NIOSH Statistical Occupation
AMSTAT Business, Industry, and Government
2005 Salary Survey
http://www.amstat.org/publications/amsn/2005/highlights10
-1.pdf
same as source 2, salary report for
statisticians 2005
AMSTAT Business, Industry, and Government
2003 Salary Survey
http://www.amstat.org/profession/SPAIGsalarysurvey03.pdf
salary report for statisticians 2003
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm#earnings
Description of Lawyer Salary 2004
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm#earnings
Description of Physician Salary 2004
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos041.htm#earnings
Description of Actuary Salary 2004
AMSTAT News Nov 2005 Issue #341
Links for Students
www.onetcenter.org
Occupational Information Network Resource Center
www.bls.gov/k12
BLS Career Information Homepage for Students
www.bls.gov/oco
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-7