Statistician
Design studies and analyze data to answer questions in health, business and science.
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- 2 years after a bachelor’s
Business & Office career
Statistical Assistant
Also called: Statistical Clerk · Research Assistant · Data Assistant · Statistical Technician
What statistical assistants do, what they earn, how long training takes and how to get started, with official BLS pay data and practical, job-level detail.
What does a statistical assistant do?
Statistical assistants compile and compute data according to statistical formulas for use in statistical studies. The median pay is $50,330 per year (BLS, May 2025), most people train for about Entry-level with a degree, and employment is projected to grow -1.8% from 2025–35.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
- Median pay$50,330$24.20/hour · May 2025
- Job growth-1.8%2025–35, a projected decline
- Openings per year500Average, 2025–35
- Typical entry educationBachelor's degreeBLS classification
- Time to trainEntry-level with a degreeTypical program length
- U.S. jobs5,100Employment, 2025
What statistical assistants do
Statistical assistants support data teams. They collect, clean and code data, run basic calculations and summaries, build tables and charts, check data quality and help statisticians and researchers prepare reports. Many work for government agencies and research firms.
BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as typical. It is a small occupation, often a stepping stone to analyst roles.
Typical duties
- Collect data
- Clean and code data
- Run basic statistics
- Build tables and charts
- Check data quality
- Document methods
- Support reports
Work environment and schedule
Statistical assistants work in offices, often for government and research groups.
Schedule: Full-time business hours.
A day in the life
- Pull new survey data.
- Clean missing values.
- Code open-ended responses.
- Run summary statistics.
See a full day in the life of a statistical assistant →
Statistical Assistant salary
Half of statistical assistants earned more than $50,330 and half earned less in May 2025. Pay ranged from about $35,990 for the lowest 10% to $81,990 for the top 10%.
Full statistical assistant pay scale and hourly rates →
How to become a statistical assistant
- Earn a bachelor’s
- Learn Excel and R
- Get hired
- Build skills
- Advance
A bachelor’s degree in statistics, math or a social science is typical.
Step-by-step guide to becoming a statistical assistant →
Skills and tools
Technical skills
- Data cleaning
- Basic statistics
- Excel
- Coding data
- Table building
People skills
- Accuracy
- Patience
- Curiosity
- Organization
All statistical assistant skills and tools →
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry to data careers
- Analytical work
- Office hours
- Stable employers
Cons
- Small field
- Repetitive cleaning
- Modest pay
- Slow decline
Certifications and licenses
- Excel certification: Helpful.
- SAS Base Programmer: Helpful.
- Data analysis certificate: Helpful.
- GStat: Graduate statistician, later.
Career path
- Statistical Assistant: Entry.
- Data Analyst: Analyze.
- Statistician: Model.
- Research Manager: Lead.
Learn the job before day one
Our Statistical Assistant training (10 hours, $89.99) covers the role, 15+ key terms, step-by-step procedures such as clean a messy dataset and build a pivot table summary, safety and how to land your first job.
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Compare: Statistical Assistant vs. Statistician · Statistical Assistant vs. Survey Researcher · Statistical Assistant vs. Data Entry Clerk · Statistical Assistant vs. Data Scientist
Statistical Assistant FAQ
Is it a good entry data job?
Yes, it can lead to analyst roles.
What degree is needed?
BLS lists a bachelor’s.
Where do they work?
Government, research firms and universities.
How much does a statistical assistant make?
The median annual wage for statistical assistants was $50,330 ($24.20 per hour) in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest 10% earned less than $35,990 and the highest 10% earned more than $81,990.
How long does it take to become a statistical assistant?
Most people need about Entry-level with a degree of training. A bachelor’s degree in statistics, math or a social science is typical.
Do you need a degree to be a statistical assistant?
Usually, yes. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education, although skills, certifications and experience can sometimes substitute.
More statistical assistant questions →
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, SOC 43-9111 (Statistical assistants).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–35).
- O*NET OnLine summary for Statistical assistants (U.S. Department of Labor).
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Reviewed by the Career Education Institute Curriculum Team. Pay figures are national estimates; local pay varies. See our editorial policy.