Data on display
Prime options: High-paying math careers with projected fast growth
February 2022
Math occupations offer a formula for success. In fact, some workers count on math for high-paying, fast-growing careers.
The chart highlights U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data for selected occupations in which mathematics is prime. Each occupation shown in the chart had a median annual wage greater than $41,950—the median wage for all workers in 2020. And each occupation is projected to have employment growth that’s much faster than the 8-percent average rate for all occupations over the 2020–30 decade.
View Chart Data
| Occupation | Median annual wage, 2020 | Growth rate, projected 2020–30 (percent) | Annual openings, projected 2020–30 | Education typically required | On-the-job training typically required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Actuaries |
$111,030 | 25 | 2,400 | Bachelor's degree | Long term |
|
Software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers |
110,140 | 22 | 189,200 | Bachelor's degree | None |
|
Data scientists and all other mathematical science occupations |
98,230 | 31 | 7,100 | Bachelor's degree | None |
|
Statisticians |
92,270 | 35 | 5,000 | Master's degree | None |
|
Operations research analysts |
86,200 | 25 | 10,200 | Bachelor's degree | None |
|
Logisticians |
76,270 | 30 | 24,500 | Bachelor's degree | None |
|
Market research analysts [1] |
65,810 | 22 | 96,000 | Bachelor's degree | None |
|
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers |
57,740 | 27 | 4,100 | Postsecondary nondegree award | Moderate term |
|
Industrial machinery mechanics |
55,490 | 21 | 45,100 | High school diploma | Long term |
|
Solar photovoltaic installers |
46,470 | 52 | 2,300 | High school diploma | Moderate term |
|
[1] Data also include marketing specialists. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections. |
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Many math-focused occupations, including actuaries and logisticians, typically require a bachelor’s degree for an entry level position. But there are opportunities for people without a degree, too. For example, computer numerically controlled (CNC) tool programmers and industrial machinery mechanics use math to compute proper settings for equipment, and solar photovoltaic (PV) installers must calculate measurements such as area and angles.
The occupations in the chart aren’t the only ones in which math has value. Mathematical knowledge is important in business and financial, construction, science and many other occupations. Learn about what workers do, the education required to enter, and wages and outlook for these and more occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). You can also visit the OOH field of degree pages for data from BLS and the U.S. Census Bureau on a variety of academic majors, including mathematics.