Public Health & Epidemiology

Biostatistician

Design and analyze clinical trials, epidemiological studies, and biomarker validation projects.

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Biostatisticians design clinical trials, run regulatory analyses for drug approvals, and feed evidence-based decision making in pharma, CROs, public health, and academic medicine. The role is statistics-first but increasingly demands programming fluency in R, SAS, and SQL.

Biostatistician salary (USD)

entry

$80k–$105k

mid

$105k–$150k

senior

$150k–$220k

US base ranges blended from Levels.fyi, BLS, Glassdoor, and Payscale (2024–2025). See full salary benchmark →

What a Biostatistician does day-to-day

Author Statistical Analysis Plans (SAPs) for clinical trials.
Run survival, mixed-effects, and Bayesian analyses for primary endpoints.
Prepare regulatory submissions (FDA, EMA) and respond to agency queries.
Collaborate with epidemiologists, clinicians, and data managers.

Required skills & tools

Core knowledge

Hypothesis testingSurvival analysisMixed modelsCausal inferenceTrial design

Tools

SASStanJAGSREDCapNonmemEAST

Languages

RSASPythonSQL

12-month roadmap to Biostatistician

1
Stats core (0–3 mo)
Regression, GLMs, hypothesis testing, power analysis.
2
Trial methods (3–6 mo)
Survival, repeated measures, adaptive designs.
3
Tooling (6–9 mo)
SAS for regulated workflows; R + Stan for modern methods.
4
Regulatory (9–12 mo)
ICH E9, CDISC standards, SAP authoring.

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Job titles to target

• Biostatistician I/II
• Senior Biostatistician
• Principal Biostatistician
• Director, Biostatistics

Where they hire

• Pharma & CROs
• Academic medical centers
• Public health agencies
• Medical devices

FAQ

Should I learn SAS or R as a biostatistician?

Both. SAS still dominates regulatory submissions to the FDA, while R is the de facto language for modern methods and academic biostatistics. Most pharma roles expect SAS, most academic roles expect R.

What degree do I need for a biostatistician job?

An MSc in biostatistics or statistics is the standard entry point. PhDs are required for principal-level pharma roles and most academic faculty positions.

Is biostatistics a good career in 2026?

Yes. Demand from CROs, real-world evidence teams, and digital health remains strong, with mid-career US salaries commonly exceeding $130k.