Statistics at Iowa State University

Iowa State's statistics graduates start at $53,000—roughly $11,000 below what the typical Iowa statistics graduate earns and trailing the University of Iowa by over $20,000. Landing in the 25th percentile both nationally and within Iowa is disappointing for a program at the state's flagship land-grant university, especially when the debt load of $23,625 sits near the median. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.44 is manageable, but that's cold comfort when peers at other Iowa schools are earning substantially more with similar debt burdens.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could swing significantly year to year, so don't treat them as gospel. It's possible this cohort included graduates pursuing lower-paying roles or further education, or that the data caught an unrepresentative year. Still, the gap between Iowa State and the state median is too wide to dismiss entirely.

If your child is set on studying statistics in Iowa, you should at least explore what's driving the earnings difference between Iowa State and the University of Iowa. The $22,000 annual gap adds up to potentially hundreds of thousands over a career. Iowa State might offer other advantages—smaller classes, specific faculty expertise, or better campus fit—but from a pure return-on-investment standpoint, these numbers suggest looking closely at alternatives before committing.