Biostatistician Salary: Your 2026 Guide

Key takeaways

Biostatisticians can make an above-average salary in the United States. Some important facts to keep in mind include:

• In 2026, biostatisticians receive a median total pay of $128,000 annually in the US [1].

• Industries such as pharmaceuticals, retail, and health care tend to pay more. 

• You can get an advanced degree, like a master’s or doctorate, to increase your chances of earning a higher salary.

Learn how much you can expect to earn as a biostatistician and how your biostatistician salary may vary depending on your education, experience, industry, and location. If you’re ready to start preparing for a biostatistician role, enroll in the Biostatistics in Public Health Specialization. You’ll have the opportunity to learn various biostatistical methods, like regression analysis and probability distribution, as well as how to interpret biomedical statistics, in as little as two months. Upon completion, you’ll have earned a career certificate for your resume. 

Demand for biostatisticians

Biostatisticians are the data science wizards behind statistics and research studies in medicine, agriculture, and public health. As the need for health care professionals grows among the general population, so too does the need for research professionals capable of understanding the ailments affecting them.

That need has driven a high demand for biostatisticians. Health care occupations are projected to grow at a faster-than-average pace between 2024 and 2034, with job openings for mathematician and statistician positions (like biostatisticians) expected to grow by 8 percent during the same period [2,3]. With such high demand comes higher-than-average pay.

What is the average salary of a biostatistician? 4 factors affecting your biostatistician salary 

As a biostatistician, you can expect to earn an above-average salary. Biostatisticians tend to be data science and research experts, so employers sometimes require candidates with master’s or doctorate degrees in a statistics-related field. As a result, pay can vary considerably from one position to another.

The pay you can expect to earn as a biostatistician ranges between approximately $85,000 and $128,000. At a glance, here's what five different sources say you may earn as a biostatistician [1,2,4,5,6]:

*Glassdoor figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Biostatisticians can earn a good salary no matter where they work, but salary does vary depending on education, experience, industry, and location. For example, a biostatistician who works for a non-profit will most likely make less than one who works for a technology company. Below, we explore how different factors may impact your pay.

Education: Biostatistician salary for PhD, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees

It is typical for individuals with higher education to earn higher salaries. This is true in the case of biostatisticians, who often have master’s or doctorate degrees in statistics or a related field. For a biostatistician, the terminal degree is a doctorate degree or a PhD. According to Zippia, the breakdown for biostatistician salaries with varying levels of education is as follows [4]:

• Bachelor’s degree: $81,063

• Master’s degree: $92,780

• Doctorate degree: $110,711

As you can see, earning a master’s or doctoral degree can add about $10K to $20K to your biostatistician salary.

Read more: How to Negotiate Your Salary: 10 Tips to Earn More

Experience: Entry-level biostatistician salary to senior-level biostatistician salary

In addition to education, biostatisticians can also increase their salary with experience. Junior-level biostatisticians might start out earning less than the average, but there is plenty of room for growth [4]:

• Entry-level or junior-level: $71,000

• Mid-level: $85,000

• Senior-level: $102,000

That number can be higher depending on where you work and who you work for. ZipRecruiter lists the average annual biostatistics salary at $119,702 [6] and $136,471 for a senior biostatistician [7].

Industry: High-paying sectors for biostatisticians 

Besides your education and experience level, your salary can vary depending on your industry and your place of work. Biostatisticians have a range of potential workplaces, such as universities, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations, and they can also work within different industries.

The main industries a biostatistician might work in, and their respective average salaries, are as follows [4]:

• Pharmaceutical: $102,858

• Retail: $98,007

• Health care: $88,688

• Education: $78,198

Location: Biostatistician salaries in the US and worldwide

Where you live and where your organization is based can impact your salary as a biostatistician. Typically, working in bigger cities such as New York or Los Angeles means you’ll make more to cover the high cost of living. Biostatisticians can work remotely because their jobs can be done on computers and with video conferencing, so as companies and governments have shifted online, salaries may continue to match the location of the organization. 

If you are a biostatistician in the following US cities, you might expect to earn the following [4]:

If you or your company are based outside of the US, your salary can range from the following [8,9,10,11]:

How many years does it take to become a biostatistician?

It typically takes about four to seven years to become a biostatistician, depending on the education you pursue. According to Zippia, 47 percent of biostatisticians hold a bachelor’s degree, and 41 percent have a master’s degree [13]. A bachelor’s degree program in biostatistics takes four years, and you can expect to complete your master’s in another two to three years. Some schools offer a combined bachelor’s and master’s in biostatistics, which can shorten your degree program by about a year.

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