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 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 the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
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 reports $230,876 in median earnings for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, the highest figure on this list. | |||||
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $156,743 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University ranks 2nd on this list and posts a median of $156,743 four years after completing, with 189 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 3 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $152,782 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Duke University carries an average net price of $735 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $152,782 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $133,986 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, admits 11% of applicants and reports median earnings of $133,986 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $130,189 | $14,860 | -$1,264* | 4.5% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $15,000 in federal loans at University of Chicago, which ranks 38th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 6 | University of Iowa · Iowa City, IA | $123,676 | $22,531 | $15,316 | 83.6% |
| University of Iowa ranks 6th on this list with median earnings of $123,676, and its Statistics completers who borrowed carried a median federal debt of $20,411. | |||||
| 7 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $122,682 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
| Northwestern University posts an average net price of $1,764 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $122,682 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $111,090 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University admits 9% of applicants and reports a school-wide median federal debt of $14,000 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 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, with median earnings of $109,466 four years after completing and an average net price of $1,043 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $109,017 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| With 228 graduates in the earnings cohort, University of California-Los Angeles reports $109,017 in median earnings 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 reports median earnings of $108,532 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing and ranks 77th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 12 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $105,978 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| A public university in Champaign, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports median earnings of $105,978 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, with 333 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 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, alongside an average net price of $14,600. | |||||
| 14 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $101,353 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| With an admission rate of 31%, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks 58th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 15 | George Washington University · Washington, DC | $100,578 | $36,586 | $17,440 | 47.1% |
| A private nonprofit university in Washington, George Washington University posts median federal debt of $20,449 across all of its borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $99,210 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison shows median earnings of $99,210 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, with 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% |
| Ranking 17th on this list, University of Florida reports a median federal debt of $13,191 among Statistics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 18 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $96,746 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego holds an admission rate of 27% 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 posts median earnings of $96,164 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $15,564. | |||||
| 20 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA | $94,300 | $24,953 | $11,689 | 54.8% |
| Ranking 20th on this list, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reports a median federal debt of $15,500 among Statistics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $93,930 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
| Michigan State University admits 85% of applicants and reports median earnings of $93,930 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Emory University · Atlanta, GA | $93,446 | $22,585 | $7,363 | 10.7% |
| A private nonprofit university in Atlanta, Emory University shows an average net price of $7,363 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 23 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $90,778 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara reports median earnings of $90,778 for its Statistics graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 291 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 24 | Miami University-Oxford · Oxford, OH | $90,388 | $28,384 | $16,015 | 75.4% |
| Ranking 24th on this list, Miami University-Oxford posts a median federal debt of $23,875 among Statistics completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 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, alongside an average net price of $14,741. | |||||
* 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, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. 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