Career
Data scientists
Turn data into answers people can act on.
$120,230
Median pay
+34.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
24,800
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.
- Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software.
- Test, validate, and reformulate models to ensure accurate prediction of outcomes of interest.
- Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.
- Recommend data-driven solutions to key stakeholders.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Mathematics, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $120,230 a year and 24,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Computer and Information SciencesSee the degree →
- Computer ScienceSee the degree →
- EconomicsSee the degree →
- MathematicsSee the degree →
- ChemistrySee the degree →
- Business AnalyticsSee the degree →
- StatisticsSee the degree →
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Statisticians$105,650 · +11.0%
- Statistical Assistants$50,330 · -1.8%
- Financial Quantitative Analysts
- Operations Research Analysts$88,940 · +11.9%
- Bioinformatics Scientists
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.