Data Fields and Career Outcomes
Computer science led degree scale, data science grew fastest from a small base, and the four fields connected to different career sets.
How did bachelor’s degree output change in computer science, data science, statistics, and mathematics?
Computer science remained largest at 42,083 bachelor’s degrees in 2023–24. Data science rose from 61 to 1,266, a 1,975% increase from a very small base. Computer science grew 22.1%, statistics 6.6%, and mathematics fell 14.2%. The two revised endpoints show change, not a complete trend.
How broad are the structurally connected career sets?
Computer science connects to 13 careers, data science to eight, mathematics to seven, and statistics to six. The crosswalk shows possible preparation routes spanning software, security, databases, research, teaching, and quantitative careers. It does not show graduate placement.
What do pay, growth, openings, and job requirements show?
Data science’s mapped careers had the highest equal-weighted average of May 2025 occupation medians, about $132,708. Data Scientists had 245,900 jobs in 2024, 33.5% projected growth, and 23,400 annual openings. Equal-weighted mapped-career averages are context, not graduate earnings estimates.
What do Scorecard and Anthropic add, and where is coverage incomplete?
Scorecard broader-field benchmarks were highest for computer science; data science had no published benchmark in this comparison. Anthropic reports observed Claude use across product settings for mapped careers. Missing outcomes remain missing, and AI-use observations do not predict replacement, productivity, or future employment.
What does the combined evidence say about the four data-oriented fields?
Computer science leads in scale; data science leads in growth
Computer science reported 42,083 bachelor’s degrees in 2023–24. It remained much larger than the other fields.
Data science increased from 61 degrees in 2020–21 to 1,266 in 2023–24. Its 1,975% increase began from a small base.
Computer science increased 22.1%, while statistics increased 6.6%. Mathematics decreased 14.2% to 15,903 degrees.
These revised IPEDS observations compare two reporting cycles. They show point-to-point change, not a trend.
Career breadth separates computer science from the quantitative fields
The official field-to-career mapping connects computer science to 13 careers. Data science connects to eight, mathematics to seven, and statistics to six.
Computer science spans software, security, databases, management, research, support, teaching, and data science.
Mathematics connects to data science and statistics. It also reaches teaching, management, and other mathematical careers.
These mappings show fields that can prepare students for careers. They do not show graduate destinations or placement probabilities.
Data science connects to the highest average mapped-career pay
The equal-weighted May 2025 median wage was about $132,708 across data science’s mapped careers.
Computer science averaged about $117,804. Statistics averaged $112,083, while mathematics averaged $107,611.
Each mapped career receives equal weight. These figures are not employment-weighted and do not estimate graduate earnings.
Data Scientists had 245,900 jobs in 2024 and 23,400 projected annual openings through 2034.
Their May 2025 median wage was $120,230. BLS projects 33.5% employment growth from 2024 through 2034.
BLS identifies a bachelor’s degree as typical entry preparation for Data Scientists. Statisticians usually require a master’s degree.
The 2025 preliminary Occupational Requirements Survey estimated bachelor’s requirements for 75.8% of software-developer jobs.
The survey does not provide a usable estimate for every mapped career. An unavailable figure does not mean zero.
Scorecard earnings favor computer science, with an important limit
College Scorecard’s one-year bachelor’s benchmark was $68,023 for computer science. Statistics was $49,825, and mathematics was $43,801.
Four-year benchmarks were $108,680, $90,778, and $72,409, respectively. Data science had no published benchmark here.
These are broader-field outcomes for covered federal-data cohorts. They are not exact earnings for each named field.
Anthropic records show use across both product settings
Anthropic documented AI use for mapped careers in Claude.ai and its first-party API during May–June 2026.
The source-specific field summaries give every mapped career equal structural weight. Detailed occupations within each career also receive equal weight.
These measures describe observed product interactions. They do not predict displacement, replacement, productivity, or future employment.
Data science grew fastest; computer science remained largest
The chart compares four fields of study. Data Science, General has the fastest percentage increase from a small base. Computer Science has the largest 2023–24 degree count. Mathematics declines. Horizontal position shows the equal-weighted May 2025 median wage across structurally mapped careers, not graduate earnings.
| Field Of Study | Average median wage across mapped careers, May 2025 | Change in reported bachelor’s degrees, 2020–21 to 2023–24 | Reported bachelor’s degrees, 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science. | $117,804 | 22.1% | 42,083 |
| Mathematics, General. | $107,611 | -14.2% | 15,903 |
| Statistics, General. | $112,083 | 6.6% | 3,481 |
| Data Science, General. | $132,708 | 1,975.4% | 1,266 |