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It's Pi Day! While the number is often shortened to 3.14 (hence March 14), many people with an interest in math can recite a longer figure … and no, they are not being irrational! Math is a useful skill in many occupations. In fact, after rating the importance of math skills from 1.0 (not important) to 5.0 (extremely important), math was deemed “extremely important” for seven occupations. Data scientists accounted for 48.7 percent (202,900) of the total employment (417,000) in these seven occupations in 2023.
Employment for occupations where mathematics is "extremely important," 2023–33
Occupation
Total employment, 2023
Share of employment, 2023 (percent)
Total employment, projected 2033
Share of employment, projected 2033 (percent)
Percent change in employment, projected 2023–33
Mathematicians
2,500
0.6
2,500
0.5
3.7
Operations research analysts
123,300
29.6
151,600
28.6
23.0
Statisticians
32,400
7.8
36,200
6.8
11.8
Data scientists
202,900
48.7
276,000
52.0
36.0
Mathematical science occupations, all other
4,600
1.1
4,900
0.9
6.9
Actuaries
30,200
7.2
36,800
6.9
21.8
Physicists
21,100
5.1
22,600
4.3
7.2
Operations research analysts, with employment of 123,300 in 2023, accounted for 29.6 percent of employment in occupations where mathematics is “extremely important.” While each of these seven occupations is projected to see growth in employment from 2023 to 2033, data scientists and operations research analysts are still expected to make up most of the employment (projected shares of 52.0 percent and 28.6 percent in 2033, respectively).
There are many more occupations where math is a valuable skill. For instance, among the occupations where math is considered “very important” were astronomers, economists, hydrologists, pharmacists, and gambling cage workers. It’s even “important” in occupations such as machinists, nurse anesthetists, tellers, computer programmers, and electricians.
Highest employment levels for occupations where mathematics is "very important," 2023
Occupation
Total employment
Annual mean wage, May 2023 (dollars)
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
1,663,800
49,580
Accountants and auditors
1,562,000
90,780
Financial managers
837,100
174,820
Financial and investment analysts
347,400
112,950
Civil engineers
341,800
101,160
Pharmacists
337,700
134,790
Personal financial advisors
321,000
150,670
Mechanical engineers
291,900
105,220
Cost estimators
227,900
79,520
Architectural and engineering managers
210,200
172,290
Electrical engineers
189,100
117,680
Engineers, all other
161,100
118,350
Payroll and timekeeping clerks
160,300
54,690
Financial specialists, all other
129,800
89,650
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks had the most employment among the 55 occupations where math is classified as "very important," at 1,663,800 jobs in 2023.
Accountants and auditors had employment of 1,562,000 jobs in 2023, while financial managers employed 837,100 workers.
United States Department of Labor
