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# Best Statistics Programs in the Midwest (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

Regional list from [Best Statistics Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-statistics-programs/)

This page ranks the 17 Statistics programs in the Midwest by median earnings of Statistics graduates four years after completing. [University of Chicago](/school/university-of-chicago/majors/) ranks 1st with median earnings of $130,189 for its graduates four years after completing.

Across the listed schools, the figure ranges from $130,189 to $57,318, with a median of $90,388. For 1 of the 17 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

15 of the schools are public and 2 are private nonprofit, an 88% public share. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, the best on this list. University of Illinois Chicago posts the lowest average net price at $10,974.

## The ranked list

17 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $130,189 | $14,860 | \-$1,264\* | 4.5% |
|  | [University of Chicago](/school/university-of-chicago/majors/) reports [$130,189 in median earnings](/school/university-of-chicago/outcomes/) for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 4%. |
| 2 | University of Iowa · Iowa City, IA | $123,676 | $22,531 | $15,316 | 83.6% |
|  | An [average net price of $15,316](/school/university-of-iowa/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $123,676 for Statistics graduates of [University of Iowa](/school/university-of-iowa/majors/) four years after completing. |
| 3 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $122,682 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a [median of $15,000](/school/northwestern-university/outcomes/) in federal loans at [Northwestern University](/school/northwestern-university/majors/), a private nonprofit university in Evanston. |
| 4 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $109,466 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
|  | [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor](/school/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/majors/) holds an [Azimuth composite rank of 16th](/school/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $109,466 four years after completing. |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $105,978 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
|  | With 333 graduates in the earnings cohort, [University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign](/school/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/majors/) posts [median earnings of $105,978](/school/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/outcomes/) for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. |
| 6 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $104,047 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
|  | [Purdue University-Main Campus](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/majors/) [admits 50% of applicants](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/admissions/) and reports median earnings of $104,047 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $99,210 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
|  | [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/majors/) ranks 7th on this list, and its Statistics graduates earn a [median of $99,210](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/outcomes/) four years after completing. |
| 8 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $93,930 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
|  | [Michigan State University](/school/michigan-state-university/majors/) reports an [average net price of $19,680,](/school/michigan-state-university/cost/) and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $93,930 four years after completing. |
| 9 | Miami University-Oxford · Oxford, OH | $90,388 | $28,384 | $16,015 | 75.4% |
|  | [Miami University-Oxford](/school/miami-university-oxford/majors/) ranks 9th on this list, with [median earnings of $90,388](/school/miami-university-oxford/outcomes/) for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 75%. |
| 10 | Central Michigan University · Mount Pleasant, MI | $81,853 | $17,597 | $12,185 | 89.8% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a [median of $27,000](/school/central-michigan-university/outcomes/) in federal loans at [Central Michigan University](/school/central-michigan-university/majors/), a public university in Mount Pleasant. |
| 11 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $80,993 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
|  | [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/school/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/majors/) holds an [Azimuth composite rank of 107th](/school/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $80,993 four years after completing. |
| 12 | University of Missouri-Columbia · Columbia, MO | $76,037 | $20,268 | $13,841 | 78.5% |
|  | An [average net price of $13,841](/school/university-of-missouri-columbia/cost/) for families earning under $30,000 coincides with median earnings of $76,037 for Statistics graduates of [University of Missouri-Columbia](/school/university-of-missouri-columbia/majors/) four years after completing. |
| 13 | Grand Valley State University · Allendale, MI | $74,229 | $16,317 | $12,272 | 83.0% |
|  | [Grand Valley State University](/school/grand-valley-state-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $74,229](/school/grand-valley-state-university/outcomes/) for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, with 48 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 14 | Iowa State University · Ames, IA | $72,581 | $18,589 | $10,582 | 88.7% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a [median of $22,869](/school/iowa-state-university/outcomes/) in federal loans at [Iowa State University](/school/iowa-state-university/majors/), a public university in Ames. |
| 15 | University of Minnesota-Duluth · Duluth, MN | $71,279 | $18,743 | $7,256 | 88.8% |
|  | [University of Minnesota-Duluth](/school/university-of-minnesota-duluth/majors/) [admits 89% of applicants](/school/university-of-minnesota-duluth/admissions/) and carries an average net price of $7,256 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 16 | University of Illinois Chicago · Chicago, IL | $68,585 | $10,974 | $7,529 | 77.4% |
|  | An [average net price of $10,974](/school/university-of-illinois-chicago/cost/) and a school-wide median federal debt of $16,704 accompany [University of Illinois Chicago](/school/university-of-illinois-chicago/majors/)'s Statistics earnings of $68,585 four years after completing. |
| 17 | University of Northern Iowa · Cedar Falls, IA | $57,318 | $15,901 | $10,863 | 92.7% |
|  | [University of Northern Iowa](/school/university-of-northern-iowa/majors/) ranks 17th on this list and posts an [admission rate of 93%](/school/university-of-northern-iowa/admissions/), with an average net price of $15,901. |

\* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Statistics graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of each program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 17 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. University of Chicago leads University of Iowa by $6,513, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom is $72,871.

## Job market context in the Midwest

Graduates of Statistics programs in the Midwest enter a labor market that links to occupations such as Data Scientists and Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $99,354, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $77,249. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 5,600 openings a year, or about 323 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 21.1% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wage figures described here.

## Related rankings

-   [Best Statistics Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-statistics-programs/)
-   [Best Colleges in the Midwest](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-midwest/)
-   [Best Statistics Programs in the Northeast](/rankings/best-statistics-programs-in-the-northeast/)
-   [Best Statistics Programs in the South](/rankings/best-statistics-programs-in-the-south/)
-   [Best Statistics Programs in the West](/rankings/best-statistics-programs-in-the-west/)
-   Mathematics Colleges in the Midwest