MAJORS · 14 OF 19 BY ROI
Is a mathematics and statistics degree worth it?
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$593,764. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$593,764
across 576 bachelor’s programs · 26,245 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$517K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$329K ⟷ +$761K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
3.2%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
30
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$440K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$118K
The biggest fields inside Mathematics and Statistics
- Mathematics. 20,779 grads +$568K
- Applied Mathematics. 2,688 grads +$644K
- Statistics. 2,295 grads +$723K
- Mathematics and Statistics, Other. 483 grads +$799K
Mean lifetime ROI per field, cohort-weighted. A category average hides this spread — and the per-school spread inside each field is wider still.
Subfield deep-dives inside Mathematics and Statistics
- Is a mathematics degree worth it? 20,779 grads +$503K
- Is an applied mathematics degree worth it? 2,688 grads +$568K
- Is a statistics degree worth it? 2,295 grads +$600K
Median lifetime ROI per subfield, cohort-weighted. Each page carries the full statistics — spread, break-even age, the share who never break even.
How much of this work is AI already reaching for?
We read what the AI labs measured about their own machines. Microsoft and Anthropic scored how much of real occupations their AI is already used for — then warned it is not a measure of jobs being replaced. Here is where that lands Mathematics and Statistics, judged on where its graduates actually work — not where the degree theoretically leads.
Where Mathematics and Statistics graduates actually work — and how much of each job today’s AI is reaching for (0–1 applicability):
- 12% Software Developers 0.41
- 6% Managers, All Other 0.19
- 4% Management Analysts 0.44
- 3% Computer Systems Analysts 0.47
- 3% Actuaries 0.19
And what people in this field actually bring to AI — the job tasks most taken to Claude, from Anthropic’s usage data:
- Modify existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware, or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
- Review class material with students by discussing text, working solutions to problems, or reviewing worksheets or other assignments.
- Analyze organizational, occupational, and industrial data to facilitate organizational functions and provide technical information to business, industry, and government.
- Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware, software, or other network and system problems, and replace defective components when necessary.
Exposure isn’t replacement. The score is how much of the task AI touches — not whether the job survives, which turns on judgment, licensure, physical presence, and trust. Sources: Microsoft Research “Working with AI” (CC BY 4.0), the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY), and U.S. Census ACS field-of-degree. Applicability scores are le-teen-derived, not original Microsoft figures; the task list is Anthropic’s observed Claude usage.
Questions
- Is a mathematics and statistics degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 576 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Mathematics and Statistics is +$593,764 and the median is +$517,327. 3.2% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$328,715 and +$760,506.
- How long until a mathematics and statistics degree pays off?
- Among Mathematics and Statistics programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 30 (FREOPP 2021). 3.2% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a mathematics and statistics major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Mathematics and Statistics graduates span +$328,715 to +$760,506 — a +$432K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
- Will AI replace mathematics and statistics jobs?
- Careful with that word. Two AI labs — Microsoft and Anthropic — measured how much of real occupations their own AI is *already being used for*, then explicitly warned it is NOT a measure of jobs being eliminated. On that measure, Mathematics and Statistics lands in the high-exposure tier: the largest place these grads actually work is software developers (12% of them), where AI applicability sits at 0.41 on a 0–1 scale. Exposure means how much of the *task* AI touches — not whether the job survives, which also depends on judgment, licensure, physical presence, and trust. Mathematics and Statistics is work of words, symbols, and screens — exactly what today's AI is built to manipulate.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 19 categories with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Mathematics and Statistics: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/mathematics-and-statistics