A Biostatistician fuses statistics and mathematics with sciences like biology and medicine to collect, produce, analyze, and represent data and information. This info is then used to design studies, clinical trials, public health research, and experimental treatments.
These people are experts who work in and impact the medical field but rarely interact with any actual patients. They are much like the man behind the curtain in this way, pulling various strings. This position is most often found in large companies that produce medicine or medical devices and tools. But, Biostaticians may also be found in research centers, NGOs, and government and public health organizations.
While some entry-level Biostatistics jobs might require only a Bachelor's in Statistics, Mathematics, or Biostatistics, or yet a different but similar field, most employers will prefer or require applicants with a Master's degree or even a Doctorate instead.
How to Become a Biostatistician
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a biostatistician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $39.11 an hour? That's $81,350 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 30% and produce 14,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Biostatistician Do
There are certain skills that many biostatisticians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed math skills, problem-solving skills and analytical skills.
How To Become a Biostatistician
If you're interested in becoming a biostatistician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 46.5% of biostatisticians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 40.8% of biostatisticians have master's degrees. Even though most biostatisticians have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a biostatistician. When we researched the most common majors for a biostatistician, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on biostatistician resumes include doctoral degree degrees or associate degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a biostatistician. In fact, many biostatistician jobs require experience in a role such as research assistant. Meanwhile, many biostatisticians also have previous career experience in roles such as statistician or internship.
Biostatistician Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a biostatistician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as senior statistician, progress to a title such as senior statistician and then eventually end up with the title senior statistician.
Average Salary for a Biostatistician
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Biostatisticians
1. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
4. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
8. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
9. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ • Private
Top Skills For a Biostatistician
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.5% of biostatisticians listed data analysis on their resume, but soft skills such as math skills and problem-solving skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Biostatistician Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Biostatistician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Biostatistician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Biostatistician Demographics
Biostatistician Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among biostatisticians, 44.2% of them are women, while 55.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among biostatisticians is White, which makes up 66.6% of all biostatisticians.
- The most common foreign language among biostatisticians is Chinese at 21.9%.
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Best States For a Biostatistician
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a biostatistician. The best states for people in this position are California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. Biostatisticians make the most in California with an average salary of $96,632. Whereas in Rhode Island and Connecticut, they would average $96,450 and $96,378, respectively. While biostatisticians would only make an average of $95,660 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Rhode Island
$96,450
Avg. Salary
2. Connecticut
$96,378
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
$95,650
Avg. Salary
How Do Biostatistician Rate Their Jobs?
Top Biostatistician Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ biostatisticians and discovered their number of biostatistician opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Tech Data was the best, especially with an average salary of $100,503. Novartis follows up with an average salary of $119,554, and then comes Johns Hopkins University with an average of $76,670. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a biostatistician. The employers include Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Hologic, and Centene
Most Common Employers For Biostatistician
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genentech | $139,024 | $66.84 | 54 |
| 2 | Biogen | $134,162 | $64.50 | 64 |
| 3 | Novartis | $119,554 | $57.48 | 130 |
| 4 | Gilead Sciences | $118,015 | $56.74 | 46 |
| 5 | Seagen | $117,855 | $56.66 | 33 |
| 6 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | $115,897 | $55.72 | 35 |
| 7 | Edwards Lifesciences | $113,889 | $54.75 | 39 |
| 8 | Parexel International | $112,733 | $54.20 | 40 |
| 9 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $108,467 | $52.15 | 33 |
| 10 | Tech Data | $100,503 | $48.32 | 134 |
Becoming a Biostatistician FAQs
How do I start a career as a biostatistician?
To start a career as a biostatistician, you'll need the right combination of educational credentials and hands-on experience. Most biostatisticians have at least a master's degree and some previous work experience through internships.
How long does it take to become a biostatistician?
It takes six to seven years to become a biostatistician. This includes the time it takes to earn a master's degree in biostatistics. In some cases, biostatisticians go on to earn doctorate degrees in biostatistics, which can take around eight to ten years to complete.
Is biostatistics a good career?
Yes, biostatistics is a good career. Not only do biostatistics jobs pay well, but they are also in high demand. A career in biostatistics is a great choice for someone who enjoys research, data analysis, statistics, and science. There are numerous career opportunities across a range of industries available to those working in biostatistics careers.