Data Scientists
Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.
262,440 people do this job in the US. $120,230 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 100%
- 0%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 13%. Today's estimate: 22%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.Done daily by most who do it. | 17% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 23%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Test, validate, and reformulate models to ensure accurate prediction of outcomes of interest.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 17% | 1 work day2.5 h to 4.2 work days | 5%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Identify relationships and trends or any factors that could affect the results of research.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 9% | 4.2 h1.3 h to 1.7 work days | 19%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Identify solutions to business problems, such as budgeting, staffing, and marketing decisions, using the results of data analysis.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Write new functions or applications in programming languages to conduct analyses.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 23%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Compare models using statistical performance metrics, such as loss functions or proportion of explained variance.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h38 min to 6.7 h | 56%Half by now | |
| Identify business problems or management objectives that can be addressed through data analysis.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | 25%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1 work day | 30%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Propose solutions in engineering, the sciences, and other fields using mathematical theories and techniques.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 3% | 1 work day2.5 h to 4.2 work days | 5%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | 25%Half by Mar 2027 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).