Best Statistics Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
This page lists 47 Statistics programs in the United States by median earnings of Statistics graduates four years after completing. Harvard University reports $230,876 in median earnings for its Statistics graduates four years after completing.
The median figure across the listed schools is $90,388, and the range runs from $230,876 to $57,318 after completing. For 3 of the 47 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions make up 77% of the list, and 11 are private nonprofit. University of Florida posts the lowest average net price on the page at $6,541.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Note: some debt figures on this page reflect school-wide student debt, not debt for this major.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University · Cambridge, MA | $230,876 | $19,066 | $8,697 | 3.7% |
| Harvard University ranks 1st on this list, reporting $230,876 in median earnings for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 4%. | |||||
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $156,743 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| With an average net price of $31,944 and a median of $21,000 in federal loans among Statistics completers who borrowed, Carnegie Mellon University places 2nd. | |||||
| 3 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $152,782 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Duke University posts median earnings of $152,782 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $735 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $133,986 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| A public university in Berkeley, University of California-Berkeley ranks 4th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and 4th on this list. | |||||
| 5 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $130,189 | $14,860 | -$1,264* | 4.5% |
| University of Chicago reports median earnings of $130,189 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, with a school-wide median federal debt of $15,000 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 6 | University of Iowa · Iowa City, IA | $123,676 | $22,531 | $15,316 | 83.6% |
| Admitting 84% of applicants, University of Iowa ranks 6th on this list and shows median earnings of $123,676 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $122,682 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
| Northwestern University ranks 7th, with median earnings of $122,682 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $1,764 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 8 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $111,090 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University's borrowers who completed left with a school-wide median federal debt of $14,000, while its Statistics graduates earned a median of $111,090 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI | $109,466 | $13,138 | $1,043 | 15.6% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks 9th on this list and 16th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $109,466 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $109,017 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| With an admission rate of 9% and an average net price of $12,548, University of California-Los Angeles reports median earnings of $109,017 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Virginia-Main Campus · Charlottesville, VA | $108,532 | $21,565 | $8,174 | 16.8% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus ranks 11th, with median earnings of $108,532 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $8,174 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 12 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $105,978 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| Median federal debt among Statistics completers who borrowed is $19,000 at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which reports median earnings of $105,978 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $104,047 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus reports $104,047 in median earnings for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 212. | |||||
| 14 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $101,353 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, a public university in San Luis Obispo, shows an average net price of $16,665 and a median federal debt of $17,939 among Statistics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 15 | George Washington University · Washington, DC | $100,578 | $36,586 | $17,440 | 47.1% |
| George Washington University admits 47% of applicants and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $100,578 four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $99,210 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison ranks 16th on this list, with median earnings of $99,210 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $4,200 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 17 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $98,409 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| An average net price of $6,541 makes University of Florida the lowest on the page, and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $98,409 four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $96,746 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego reports median earnings of $96,746 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 19 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | $96,164 | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| Brigham Young University, a private nonprofit university, shows a median federal debt of $10,312 among Statistics completers who borrowed and an admission rate of 68%. | |||||
| 20 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $94,300 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reports median earnings of $94,300 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 34. | |||||
| 21 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $93,930 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
| Michigan State University admits 85% of applicants and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $93,930 four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Emory University · Atlanta, GA | $93,446 | $22,585 | $7,363 | 10.7% |
| Emory University reports median earnings of $93,446 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $20,983 among Statistics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 23 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $90,778 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara shows an average net price of $9,231 for families earning under $30,000 and its Statistics graduates earn a median of $90,778 four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | Miami University-Oxford · Oxford, OH | $90,388 | $28,384 | $16,015 | 75.4% |
| Miami University-Oxford ranks 24th on this list, with median earnings of $90,388 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 75%. | |||||
| 25 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $88,033 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis reports median earnings of $88,033 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 239 graduates. | |||||
* 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 United States appear. The figure covers federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled. For 3 of the 47 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. The range from $230,876 to $57,318 spans $173,558, with Harvard University reporting $230,876 and Carnegie Mellon University reporting $156,743, a gap of $74,133 between first and second.
Job market context in the United States
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Statistics graduates to occupations such as Data Scientists, Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary, and others. The median annual wage across those occupations is $114,059, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $85,303. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 22.4% higher, with 36,300 projected openings a year, or about 691 openings a year for every hundred graduates, meaning more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. These market figures describe the occupations, not the earnings of any listed program; the ranking above uses the median earnings of Statistics graduates four years after completing.
Related rankings
- Mathematics Colleges
- Mathematics Colleges for Social Mobility