Career comparison
Statistical Assistant vs. Statistician
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Statisticians earn more at the median ($105,650 vs. $50,330), while statistical assistants usually get to work faster (Entry-level with a degree of training). Statistical assistants compile and check data for statisticians and researchers. Statisticians design studies and analyze data to answer questions in health, business and science.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Statistical Assistant | Statistician | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $50,330 ($24.20/hr) | $105,650 ($50.79/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $35,990 – $81,990 | $64,000 – $174,050 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -1.8% (a projected decline) | +11.0% (much faster than average) |
| Openings per year | 500 | 1,900 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Master's degree |
| Training time | Entry-level with a degree | 2 years after a bachelor’s |
| Key credential | Excel certification | PStat |
| Work setting | Statistical assistants work in offices, often for government and research groups.. | Statisticians work in offices for pharma, government, universities and companies; many work remotely.. |
What each job does
Statistical Assistant
- Collect data
- Clean and code data
- Run basic statistics
- Build tables and charts
- Check data quality
Statistician
- Design studies
- Choose methods
- Analyze data
- Build models
- Check assumptions
How they’re similar
Both careers involve working with information and problem-solving. They sit in different fields, business & office and science, engineering & lab, but share transferable skills such as accuracy and communication.
Which should you choose?
Choose statistical assistant if…
- I like data
- I’m accurate
- I like spreadsheets
Choose statistician if…
- I love data
- I’m skeptical of easy answers
- I can code
Still torn? Take the Statistical Assistant fit quiz and the Statistician fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, statistical assistant or statistician?
Statisticians earn more at the median: $105,650 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 statisticians (2 years after a bachelor’s).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects statisticians to grow +11.0% from 2025–35, compared with -1.8% for statistical assistants.