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What Can You Do With a Mathematics Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: A mathematics degree leads to eight recognizable occupations, and the highest-paying one is not the biggest. Actuaries earned a median annual wage of $130,000 and mathematicians $126,710 but the mathematician occupation held only 2,400 jobs against 245,900 for data scientists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Most of these jobs are gated by something other than the degree: an actuarial exam sequence, demonstrated programming, a state teaching license, or a doctorate. Plan for the gate, not just the diploma.
Mathematics is one of the few majors whose name matches an occupation almost nobody in it holds. The degree teaches proof, structure, and modeling, and the labor market buys those skills under titles like actuary, analyst, statistician, and data scientist. Reading the list below by wage alone is misleading. Read it by wage, size, and entry gate together.
Jobs you can get with a mathematics degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Actuaries | $130,000 |
| Mathematicians | $126,710 |
| Data Scientists | $120,230 |
| Statisticians | $105,650 |
| Operations Research Analysts | $88,940 |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | $81,100 |
| Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $79,940 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $72,040 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 66,200/yr |
| Data Scientists | 23,400/yr |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | 10,300/yr |
| Operations Research Analysts | 9,600/yr |
| Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4,400/yr |
| Actuaries | 2,400/yr |
| Statisticians | 2,000/yr |
| Mathematicians | 100/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. Wages vary by employer, industry, geography, and experience.
Actuary. Actuaries price risk for insurers, pension plans, and consulting firms: mortality, morbidity, catastrophe, and reserve modeling. The national median annual wage was $130,000 with the 10th percentile at $78,570 and the 90th at $215,100 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 33,600 in 2024, projected to grow 21.8 percent through 2034 with 2,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The degree is preparation; the credential is the professional exam sequence run by the actuarial societies. Candidates typically pass one or two exams before graduating, and employers expect continued exam progress as a condition of the job. See how to become an actuary.
Mathematician. This is research mathematics: developing and applying theory at federal agencies, defense and intelligence laboratories, and research organizations. The national median annual wage was $126,710 with the 10th percentile at $69,240 and the 90th at $195,190 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). It is also the smallest occupation on this page: 2,400 jobs in 2024, projected to decline 0.7 percent through 2034, with about 100 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Entry typically requires a graduate degree, and a doctorate is common. Many roles require U.S. citizenship and a security clearance.
Data scientist. Data scientists build models and pipelines that turn data into decisions. The national median annual wage was $120,230 with the 10th percentile at $67,240 and the 90th at $199,130 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 245,900 in 2024, projected to grow 33.5 percent through 2034 with 23,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This is the largest and fastest-growing destination for quantitative graduates. A mathematics degree competes here only if it comes with real programming. Compare a data science degree if that is the target.
Statistician. Statisticians design studies and draw inference from data in government, pharmaceuticals, and research. The national median annual wage was $105,650 with the 10th percentile at $64,000 and the 90th at $174,050 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 32,200, projected to grow 8.5 percent with 2,000 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Most statistician postings expect a master’s. A statistics degree is the more direct route; a mathematics degree with a statistics concentration is a common alternative.
Operations research analyst. These analysts model logistics, scheduling, pricing, and resource allocation using optimization and simulation. The national median annual wage was $88,940 with the 10th percentile at $57,060 and the 90th at $159,910 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 112,100, projected to grow 21.5 percent with 9,600 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This occupation hires at the bachelor’s level more readily than statistician roles do, and it maps closely to an applied mathematics track.
Financial specialists, all other. This BLS catch-all covers risk analysts, pricing analysts, and quantitative roles in finance that do not fit a named category. The national median annual wage was $81,100 with the 10th percentile at $48,460 and the 90th at $151,490 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 137,100, projected to grow 3.1 percent with 10,300 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Titles here vary so widely that the duties matter more than the label.
Mathematical science teacher, postsecondary. Teaching mathematics at colleges and universities. The national median annual wage was $79,940 with the 10th percentile at $49,180 and the 90th at $139,340 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 58,900, projected to grow 2.3 percent with 4,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Community colleges commonly hire at the master’s level with a stated graduate mathematics credit count; universities typically require a doctorate for tenure-track posts.
Secondary school teacher. Teaching mathematics in middle and high schools. The national median annual wage was $72,040 with the 10th percentile at $48,780 and the 90th at $107,600 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 1,094,500, the largest occupation on this page, projected to decline 1.6 percent through 2034 while still generating 66,200 openings a year from replacement need (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Entry requires a state teaching license, not a mathematics degree alone. Mathematics is a shortage field in many districts, which is why licensure routes for degree holders exist. See the education program guide.
What the degree level changes
Mathematics has no license of its own, so the useful question is which gate stands between you and each job.
The online bachelor’s in mathematics is enough for actuarial, operations research, analyst, and many data roles. What makes it competitive is what you attach to it: actuarial exams, programming in Python or R, or a teaching-licensure sequence. A bachelor’s with none of those attached is a strong quantitative signal without a specific door.
The online master’s in mathematics does three specific things. It meets the graduate credit requirement community colleges screen on, it deepens applied and computational coursework for roles that ask for it, and it is the standard bridge to doctoral study. It is not required for actuarial work and does not replace the exams.
A doctorate is the realistic entry point for the mathematician occupation and for tenure-track university teaching. Given 100 annual openings in that occupation, treat the PhD as a decision about the work rather than about the wage.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with a mathematics degree?
Actuary, data scientist, statistician, operations research analyst, financial and risk analyst, secondary school mathematics teacher, postsecondary mathematics instructor, and – with a graduate degree – mathematician. Common titles also include quantitative analyst, pricing analyst, and modeling analyst.
How much do mathematics majors make?
BLS May 2025 national medians for the associated occupations run from $72,040 for secondary school teachers to $130,000 for actuaries, with mathematicians at $126,710 and data scientists at $120,230 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Your earnings depend on which occupation you enter, not on the major itself.
Which mathematics career pays the most?
Actuaries carry the highest national median at $130,000 followed by mathematicians at $126,710 and data scientists at $120,230 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Actuarial work requires the professional exam sequence, and the mathematician occupation has about 100 openings a year, so the highest median is not the most open door.
Do you need a graduate degree to use a mathematics degree?
Not for most of these jobs. Actuarial, operations research, financial analyst, and many data roles hire at the bachelor’s level. Statistician postings usually expect a master’s, postsecondary teaching requires a graduate degree, and the mathematician occupation typically requires a doctorate.
Is a mathematics degree worth it?
It is worth it if you pair it with a specific gate: actuarial exams, programming, a teaching license, or graduate study. It is worth less if you expect the major alone to name a job. The is a mathematics degree worth it page walks through the trade-offs.
Keep exploring
- Start at the mathematics program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become a mathematician, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: statistics, data science, data analytics, computer science, and education.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.