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s businesses and government agencies continue to rely on big data to improve their planning and decision-making, math occupations provide critical statistical anal- yses. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics verify that math is prime in these jobs: their median annual wage is greater than $41,950 - the median wage for all workers in 2020 - and they are expected to grow faster than the average for all occu- pations (7.7 percent) from 2020 to 2030. If you're considering a career involving math, check out these 10 careers:

Actuaries

How they use math: Actuaries use cal- culus and statistics to estimate proba- bility, future events' economic costs and other calculations. 2020 annual median pay: $111,030 Typical entry-level education: Bache- lors degree Number of jobs in 2020: 27,700 Projected growth 2020-2030: 24 per- cent (much faster than average) Occupational openings, 2020-2030 annual average: 2,400

Computer and information research scientists

How they use math: Computer and in- formation research scientists work with algorithms - sets of instructions that tell a computer what to do - to create and improve software. 2020 annual median pay: $126,830 Typical entry-level education: Master's degree Number of jobs in 2020: 33,000 Projected growth 2020-2030: 22 per- cent (much faster than average) Occupational openings, 2020-2030 annual average: 3,200

Sweet as Pi:

The Outlook for Jobs in the Math Field

By Kathleen Green and Emily Krustch

Data scientists and other mathematical science occupations

How they use math: Data scientists and other mathematical science occupa- ions, such as bioinformatics techni- cians, analyze raw data to interpret and report information. 2020 annual median pay: $98,230 Typical entry-level education: Bache- lors degree Number of jobs in 2020: 63,200 Projected growth 2020-2030: 31 per- cent (much faster than average) Occupational openings, 2020-2030 annual average: 7,100

Financial examiners

How they use math: Financial exam- iners make calculations and monitor balance sheets to ensure that financial institutions have cash available. 2020 annual median pay: $81,430 Typical entry-level education: Bache- lors degree Number of jobs in 2020: 70,800 Projected growth 2020-2030: 18 per- cent (much faster than average) Occupational openings, 2020-2030 annual average: 6,900