Statisticians in the Federal Government

1. Statisticiansin the Federal Government Prepared by: Ron Fecso, Chief Statistician, NSF/SRS Tiffany Olson, JPSM Intern, NSF/SRS Presented at Careers in Statistic Panel for Teachers in High Schools and Two Year Colleges at the Joint Statistical Meeting 2006

2. Why statistics? • Versatile • Statistician consistently ranks as one of the nation’s best jobs • Great compensation

3. Why work as a statistician for the federal government? • The federal government employs 20% of the approximately 19,000 statisticians in the United States. • Data collected and analyzed by statisticians in the federal government are used to make important policy decisions. • Statisticians are employed in nearly every federal agency, offering a large variety of opportunities. • The federal government employs statisticians with bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees.

4. What can you do as a statistician for the federal government? • Survey design and methodology • Field work and data analysis • Clinical trial analysis • Reliability and quality control There are also many positions that use statistics but have a title other than “statistician” and don’t necessarily require a degree in statistics.

5. Where can you work in the federal government?

6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Where can you work in the federal government? • Non-laboratory setting • Review and evaluate new drug applications • Research setting • Design and analyze complex short term and long term studies

7. Bureau of Labor Statistics Where can you work in the federal government? • Produce important economic indicators such as the Unemployment Rate and the Consumer Price Index • Job tasks include: • Sampling frame development and refinement • Survey design • Measuring and improving the quality of data • Serving as a consultant

8. U.S. Department of Agriculture Where can you work in the federal government? • Agricultural Statisticians • Produce seasonal estimates of commodities such as macadamia nuts in Hawaii • Use survey statistics, mathematical statistics, and data processing to prepare data relating to many areas of agriculture • Mathematical Statisticians • Research and evaluate the theory and statistical programs used in studies applied to various agricultural survey activities

9. What statistics does the USDA Produce? Maps detailing the acres of farmland fertilized Charts showing the price of cheddar cheese

10. U.S. Census Bureau Where can you work in the federal government? • Statistician (Concentration on Social Science) • Design, implement, analyze and report on surveys of important population trends • Statistician (Concentration on Economics) • Collect information from retailers on the amount of retail trade • Mathematical Statistician • Develop new statistical methodologies and perform innovative research to solve statistical problems

11. Where can you work in the federal government? National Institutes of Health • NIH employs Ph.D. or experienced master’s level statisticians to design and analyze clinical trials.

12. Where can you work in the federal government? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • CDC employs statisticians to design both laboratory and epidemiologic studies and analyze the data from individual projects.

13. Compensation Question: How much money can I make as a statistician? Answer: That depends on several important factors: • Education level • Experience • Managerial duties

14. Salary comparison

15. ASA 2003 salary report (Federal government responses) - Insufficient data to conceal the identities of those sampled

16. Sources

17. Links for Students www.onetcenter.org Occupational Information Network Resource Center www.bls.gov/k12 BLS Career Information Homepage for Students www.bls.gov/oco BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-7