Public Health Career · BLS May 2025

Biostatistician Salary and Career Path

How Much Does a Biostatistician Make, and Which Degree Gets You There?

The median biostatistician salary, measured by the BLS statisticians occupation, was $105,650 in May 2025 across 29,030 jobs. Maryland pays a $132,620 median across 2,730 jobs, and California $135,960 across 2,480. Most biostatisticians hold a master's degree; 154 programs on this site lead there, compared in biostatistics master's programs.

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Biostatistician Pay: $64,000 to $174,050

Statisticians, annual wages, United States (BLS OEWS, May 2025)

The median is the midpoint: half of statisticians earned more and half less. The 90th percentile shows where experienced and senior roles land; the 10th, where many new graduates start.

What a Biostatistician Does

A biostatistician applies statistics to health and biology. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t count biostatisticians separately; it places them inside the statisticians occupation and describes them this way: statisticians known as biostatisticians work in pharmaceutical companies, public health agencies or hospitals, and may design studies to test whether drugs successfully treat diseases.

Day to day, the work splits into three parts:

  • Design. Planning surveys and experiments, including clinical studies, before any data is collected.
  • Analysis. Building statistical models and running analyses on study data.
  • Communication. Writing up results so that clinicians, regulators or health officials can act on them.

Most statisticians work full time, and BLS notes that deadlines and last-minute requests for analysis can mean overtime. You’ll usually sit on a team with scientists, clinicians and other specialists rather than work alone.

Where Biostatisticians Work

BLS reports employers for all statisticians, so the table covers biostatisticians and statisticians in other fields together:

Employer Share of statistician jobs
Federal government 16%
Research and development in the physical, engineering and life sciences 15%
Healthcare and social assistance 8%
State colleges, universities and professional schools 6%
Computer systems design 4%

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

For a public health graduate, the research and development row (which includes drug and biotech research), the federal row (health agencies) and the healthcare row are where biostatistics jobs concentrate. Universities hire biostatisticians to support clinical and population studies.

Biostatistician Salary by State

Because the BLS figures cover all statisticians, state pay reflects the mix of federal, pharmaceutical and research employers in each place. The top states by median are the District of Columbia ($140,670, 550 jobs), New York ($136,020, 1,220 jobs) and California ($135,960, 2,480 jobs). The job counts are just as useful:

State Jobs Median pay
Washington 2,960 $105,650
Maryland 2,730 $132,620
California 2,480 $135,960
Massachusetts 2,480 $96,710
Pennsylvania 1,630 $93,830
Texas 1,390 $102,960
New York 1,220 $136,020
North Carolina 1,200 $115,690

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, statisticians.

What stands out:

  • Maryland and California are the sweet spot. Both have more than 2,400 jobs and medians above the national $105,650.
  • Massachusetts is big but not top-paying. It ties California on job count, yet its $96,710 median sits below the national figure.
  • The low end is far lower. Puerto Rico ($49,730, 230 jobs), Mississippi ($64,670, 80 jobs), South Carolina ($65,450, 240 jobs) and Missouri ($66,330, 680 jobs) have the lowest medians of the 46 states and territories BLS reports.

Entry-Level Biostatistician Salary and the Pay Ladder

The pay band shows a wide spread. A tenth of statisticians earned less than $64,000 in May 2025, and a quarter earned less than $82,220. Those figures, not the $105,650 median, are the realistic benchmark for a first job after a master’s degree, especially in lower-paying states.

The top of the range is where experience and doctoral training show up. The top quarter earned more than $141,490 and the top tenth more than $174,050. Location moves the whole ladder: the District of Columbia’s median alone is $140,670, while Missouri’s is $66,330.

Compared with other public health careers on this site, statistician pay is near the top. The median sits well above the epidemiologist median of $87,220, so if you enjoy the quantitative side of public health, the pay case for biostatistics is strong.

What You’ll Study

Biostatistics coursework is more mathematical than most public health study. Across the 154 programs, the most common concentration names are Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, with Applied Biostatistics and Data Science appearing at several schools. If you choose an MPH, you also take the public health foundations every CEPH-accredited MPH requires.

Program names show where the field is heading. UTHealth Houston calls its degree an MS in Biostatistics and Data Science, Nevada, Reno offers Health Analytics and Biostatistics, and George Washington University offers an MS in Health Data Science. If you want data science skills with a health focus, these hybrid titles are worth a close look.

Education: Why the Master’s Degree Is the Standard

BLS says statisticians typically need a master’s degree, although some entry-level positions accept a bachelor’s. Undergraduate preparation is math-heavy: BLS lists calculus, differential equations and linear algebra, and notes that biology, chemistry or health sciences coursework helps if you want to test pharmaceutical products.

Biostatistics is one of the few public health fields where the Master of Science outnumbers the MPH. Of the 154 biostatistics programs on this site, 74 are MS degrees and 69 are MPH degrees, with the rest split among MA, MSPH, MHS and other master’s titles.

MPH with biostatistics MS in biostatistics
Programs on this site 69 74
Focus Public health breadth plus applied analysis; required field experience Statistical theory, methods and programming; often a thesis or project
Example Georgia State University MPH, 42 credits, $464 a credit UAB MS in Biostatistics, 43 credits, $526 a credit
Best fit Public health agencies, program evaluation, a mix of analysis and practice Clinical trials, drug research, a path to a PhD

If you’re choosing between them, ask which job you want first. For trial design and statistical programming, the MS is the more direct preparation. For a health department analyst role that also involves programs and policy, the MPH fits. The MPH vs MS guide covers the difference in more depth.

What a Biostatistics Master’s Costs

Among 51 biostatistics programs that publish a per-credit rate, tuition runs from $205 to $2,507 a credit, with a median of $992. Across the 49 programs that publish both a rate and a credit total, estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) has a median of $44,964.

Program Credits Per credit Estimated tuition
UTHealth Houston MS in Biostatistics and Data Science 36 $287 $10,332
University of Nevada, Reno MS in Health Analytics and Biostatistics 36 $383.25 $13,797
CUNY MS in Public Health Data Science (online) 36 $470 $16,920
University of Kansas MS in Biostatistics 36 $485.50 $17,478
Claremont Graduate University MPH (online) 44 $2,070 $91,080
NYU MS in Biostatistics 46 $2,507 $115,322

Several of the cheapest options are also among the shortest. Most programs that publish credits fall between 36 and 45, so a 36-credit MS at a public university is both quicker and cheaper than a 46-credit private program. UTHealth’s $287 is the Texas resident rate.

Fast and Flexible Routes

If you want to finish quickly, a few programs are built for it. The University of Miami MS in Biostatistics runs one year, and Columbia’s MS in Biostatistics: Clinical Research Methods is 30 credits and takes one year if you start in summer, at $2,222 a credit.

If you need to keep working, 28 of the 154 programs offer an online format and 13 are hybrid. Options include CUNY’s online data science MS above, Claremont’s online MS in Applied Biostatistics (38 units) and UC Berkeley’s online MPH, which offers an Epidemiology and Biostatistics concentration over 27 months. Browse more in online MPH programs and accelerated MPH programs.

How to Choose a Biostatistics Program

  • Check the math prerequisites. MS programs usually expect calculus and linear algebra. If your background is thin, an MPH with a biostatistics concentration may be the better door.
  • Look for CEPH accreditation. 144 of the 154 programs are at CEPH-accredited schools, which also makes you eligible for the CPH exam as a student. The CEPH accreditation guide explains what the status means.
  • Compare testing policies. 53 programs say the GRE is not required and 26 make it optional; only 1 requires it. See no-GRE MPH programs.
  • Match the degree to the employer. Drug and clinical research roles lean toward the MS; health agencies hire from both.
  • Consider the neighbor field. Epidemiology uses the same methods with more fieldwork and a lower median ($87,220). Compare the epidemiologist career before you commit.

Highest-Paying States for Statisticians

StateMedian90th percentileJobs
District of Columbia$140,670$185,220550
New York$136,020$208,7001,220
California$135,960$205,2102,480
Maryland$132,620$170,9802,730
Illinois$119,760$167,740480
New Jersey$118,280$180,790880
North Carolina$115,690$174,3601,200
Georgia$115,150$170,700460
Virginia$114,920$178,400720
Kentucky$112,520$147,25080

BLS publishes 15-2041 estimates for 46 states. Full list on the MPH salary page.

The MPH Path: Biostatistics

154 programs we verified offer biostatistics, as an MPH concentration or a related master's degree. These online MPH programs at CEPH-accredited schools are a place to start:

All biostatistics programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does a Biostatistician Make an Hour?

The median hourly wage for statisticians, the BLS occupation that includes biostatisticians, was $50.79 in May 2025. The mean annual wage was $115,700.

Can You Become a Biostatistician With a Bachelor's Degree?

Sometimes. BLS says statisticians typically need a master's degree, but some entry-level positions accept candidates with a bachelor's degree. Most biostatistics roles in public health agencies, hospitals and drug research list a master's.

Which Pays More, Biostatistics or Epidemiology?

On BLS figures, statisticians had a higher median ($105,650) than epidemiologists ($87,220) in May 2025. The two jobs overlap, and many programs teach them together.

Is There an Online Master's in Biostatistics?

Yes. Of the 154 biostatistics programs on this site, 28 offer an online format and 10 are online only. Examples include CUNY's online MS in Public Health Data Science (36 credits, $470 a credit) and Claremont Graduate University's online MS in Applied Biostatistics (38 units).

Do Biostatisticians Need a Certification?

No certification is required for statistician jobs. Public health graduates can add the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential, which is open to students and graduates of CEPH-accredited schools and programs.

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 15-2041 Statisticians, May 2025
  2. Official program pages of the schools listed, reviewed September 2026
  3. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Mathematicians and Statisticians
  4. NBPHE: CPH eligibility requirements

Every program here was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation comes from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) list, and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list. How we verify programs