Social Statistician

Social Statisticians design, carry out, and analyze surveys for the purpose of gathering information about population and housing statistics for the country. Their findings are then used by Congress and the federal government to guide policy initiatives. For this reason, it’s incredibly important that the data collected and the final analysis are as precise as possible. While that may seem unrealistic given the millions of people you have to deal with, as a Social Statistician you consider it a challenge worth meeting.

To be a good Social Statistician, you need an in-depth understanding of population size, density, and distribution, just to name a few. You spend most of your time in an office, working with other Statisticians, so good communication, teamwork, and the ability to get along well with others are vital.

Occasionally, you may be called upon to go out into the field where actual data is being gathered. There, you supervise Census Takers or make observations to help guide future surveys.

Once the data comes back in, you set to work processing it. Raw data needs to be turned into a workable “story” that you can deliver to your superiors. While you usually work normal 40-hour workweeks, expect some overtime when it comes time to crunch some numbers for a final report or a big presentation.