What is a Statistician? Duties, Salary, and More

Statisticians are experts who compile and analyse statistical data to solve problems for businesses, government organisations, and other institutions.

In their day-to-day work, statisticians determine the data a company will need to solve a problem and then apply mathematical theories to turn the data into a solution. In many cases, they also source the data for companies by designing surveys, questionnaires, experiments, and polls.

If you're analytical and enjoy using numbers and data to solve problems, consider a career as a statistician.

In this article, you'll learn more about what you can expect from a career as a statistician, including daily duties, potential salary, and work environment. You'll also find suggested courses to help you learn the in-demand skills needed to excel in the field.

What does a statistician do?

A statistician applies statistical methods and models to specific problems to develop informed solutions. As a statistician, you'll analyse and interpret data to help businesses with important decisions, issues, and logistical scenarios. As a result, statisticians often use probability, calculus, mathematical modelling, and statistical analysis. 

Primary duties and responsibilities

Statisticians collect data in an organised and ethical fashion. You would do so through polls or surveys, but you must consider bias and other factors when designing these data-collection tools. 

You'll then review the data to find trends and relationships, present these findings comprehensively, and communicate them to your superiors. You must also explain your process of discovering these findings and what they mean to the business.

Fields and industries

Statisticians work in education, marketing, psychology, sports, and other fields that require statistical backing. Government, health care, and research industries hire many statisticians due to the high value of data and projections.

Why are statisticians important?

Statisticians offer evidence to support important decisions, solutions, or projections. Using analytical skills, they perform important tasks like spotting issues with marketing efficacy, projecting sales over the upcoming quarter, identifying stock market trends, and more.

As a statistician, you'll collect and analyse data to solve problems in every facet for a range of employers, from privately owned businesses to non-profit organisations. 

Statistician salary

According to Glassdoor, statisticians in India earn an average annual base salary of ₹4,30,288. This figure might be higher or lower depending on your industry and specific locale [1].

How to become a statistician

To become a statistician, you'll need to gain the proper credentials, possess critical job skills, and work to stand out from the crowded applicant pool to pique employers' interests. Here are some of the steps you'll likely take as you're working to become a statistician:

1. Gain the proper credentials.

Depending on the job, a statistician may need a bachelor's or master's degree. You must pass a 10+2 maths or statistics exam to qualify for a bachelor's program. 

2. Develop your skills.

As a statistician, you'll need mathematics, computers, communications, and analytics skills. You will also benefit from industry awareness and knowledge and the ability to work on a team and collaborate with others. Companies place a high value on problem solvers who are skilled in their technical practices and communicate effectively. 

3. Consider a certificate.

Statisticians don't need a Professional Certificate, but the Indian Statistical Institute has one valuable certificate in Statistical Quality Control that might be helpful. Adding a certificate to your resume could help you stand out to employers and improve your chances of landing a job.

Career progression

The more experience you have in the field, the more likely you will grow in your statistician career and potentially advance to senior or executive roles. Generally, those with master’s degrees or doctorates will have more opportunities to ascend to higher positions. 

As you work in an organisation and become more recognised as a crucial team member and statistics expert, you may also move into higher roles. 

Pursuing higher education and success in the field are two ways to excel in your career. Plus, your pay grade will usually grow as your role increases. 

Get started

Statistics can be a rewarding career if you enjoy using numbers and mathematics to solve problems and developing surveys to source data. If you're excited about a career in this field, consider taking a cost-effective, flexible course on Coursera.

In Stanford's Introduction to Statistics course, you'll become familiar with statistical thinking concepts essential for learning from data and communicating insights. In Johns Hopkins' Advanced Statistics for Data Science Specialisation, you'll learn about fundamental concepts in probability and statistics, data analysis, and linear models for data science.