Career comparison
Data Scientist vs. Statistical Assistant
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Data scientists earn more at the median ($120,230 vs. $50,330), while statistical assistants usually get to work faster (Entry-level with a degree of training). Data scientists turn data into insights and predictions that guide decisions. Statistical assistants compile and check data for statisticians and researchers.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Data Scientist | Statistical Assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $120,230 ($57.80/hr) | $50,330 ($24.20/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $67,240 – $199,130 | $35,990 – $81,990 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +34.6% (much faster than average) | -1.8% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 24,800 | 500 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Training time | 4–6 years | Entry-level with a degree |
| Key credential | Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate | Excel certification |
| Work setting | Data scientists work in offices or remotely at computers, collaborating with engineers, analysts and business teams.. | Statistical assistants work in offices, often for government and research groups.. |
What each job does
Data Scientist
- Gather and clean data from many sources
- Explore data with statistics and visualizations
- Build predictive and machine learning models
- Design and analyze experiments
- Deploy and monitor models
Statistical Assistant
- Collect data
- Clean and code data
- Run basic statistics
- Build tables and charts
- Check data quality
How they’re similar
Both careers involve working with information, desk work, problem-solving, and working independently. They sit in different fields, technology and business & office, but share transferable skills such as curiosity and accuracy.
Which should you choose?
Choose data scientist if…
- I love working with numbers and data
- I enjoy statistics and coding
- I like finding patterns
Choose statistical assistant if…
- I like data
- I’m accurate
- I like spreadsheets
Still torn? Take the Data Scientist fit quiz and the Statistical Assistant fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, data scientist or statistical assistant?
Data Scientists earn more at the median: $120,230 versus $50,330 for statistical assistants, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Statistical Assistants typically train faster (Entry-level with a degree) than data scientists (4–6 years).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects data scientists to grow +34.6% from 2025–35, compared with -1.8% for statistical assistants.