ROI Major

Statistics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

IL · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 27.05

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Statistics degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earn a median salary of $114,696 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $124,941. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.3 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$85,997

Typical Career

$114,696

Top Performers

$165,316

Estimated break-even: 3.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$765

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $9,558. Most students can comfortably afford about a $765 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 3.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 24.2%
Educational Services 13.6%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.8%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$124,941

Nominal: $114,696 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

3.3 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $53,549 $74,834 $99,163
5 Years After Graduation $85,997 $114,696 $165,316
10 Years After Graduation $86,267 $119,554 $167,535

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $114,696 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $114,696 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $124,941 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Statistics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experience a promising earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $74,834, which increases significantly to $114,696 five years post-graduation and reaches $119,554 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $124,941.18 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive financial standing relative to their peers across the country.

The top industries for Statistics graduates include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (24.2%), Educational Services (13.6%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (10.8%). Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 3.3 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Statistics is favorable. This data suggests that graduates can expect not only a solid entry into the job market but also long-term financial benefits in their careers.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Statistics degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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