Mathematicians
Also called: Computational Scientist, Cryptographer, Mathematician, Research ScientistConduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields. Solve problems in various fields using mathematical methods.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on all 11 of its rated tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 0.6% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 73% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $126,710 | $101,230 to $156,480 | 250 |
| Colorado | $86,020 | $65,310 to $166,440 | 60 |
| Illinois | $130,970 | $100,680 to $130,970 | 60 |
| Indiana | $88,050 | $80,470 to $119,560 | 40 |
| Maryland | $131,810 | $95,490 to $167,000 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $104,190 | $81,510 to $104,600 | 40 |
| Michigan | $65,510 | $65,510 to $87,010 | 90 |
| Nevada | $102,890 | $80,160 to $129,300 | 70 |
| New Jersey | not published | not published | 70 |
| New York | $126,950 | $89,380 to $167,650 | 150 |
| Rhode Island | $109,260 | $100,360 to $126,710 | 100 |
| Virginia | $148,030 | $120,990 to $175,610 | 400 |
| Washington | $162,280 | $112,900 to $194,120 | 100 |
Nationally: $126,710. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on all 11 of its rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not rated | Mentor others on mathematical techniques. | 0.15% |
| AI + software | Maintain knowledge in the field by reading professional journals, talking with other mathematicians, and attending professional conferences. | Not published |
| AI alone | Disseminate research by writing reports, publishing papers, or presenting at professional conferences. | Not published |
| AI + software | Assemble sets of assumptions, and explore the consequences of each set. | 0.04% |
| AI + software | Develop new principles and new relationships between existing mathematical principles to advance mathematical science. | Not published |
| AI alone | Conduct research to extend mathematical knowledge in traditional areas, such as algebra, geometry, probability, and logic. | Not published |
See all 12 tasks
| AI + software | Address the relationships of quantities, magnitudes, and forms through the use of numbers and symbols. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Perform computations and apply methods of numerical analysis to data. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Develop mathematical or statistical models of phenomena to be used for analysis or for computational simulation. | Not published |
| AI alone | Apply mathematical theories and techniques to the solution of practical problems in business, engineering, the sciences, or other fields. | 0.76% |
| AI alone | Develop computational methods for solving problems that occur in areas of science and engineering or that come from applications in business or industry. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Design, analyze, and decipher encryption systems designed to transmit military, political, financial, or law-enforcement-related information in code. | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 7 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #28 Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles
- and 2 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Advise others on the design or use of technologies | |||
| Analyze performance of systems or equipment | |||
| Assist scientists, scholars, or technical specialists with projects or research | |||
| Develop operational or technical procedures or standards |
Show all 10 activities
| Design computer or information systems or applications | |||
| Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Math or a calculation53%
- An explanation or answer26%
- A chart or visualization5%
- A document or report4%
- A script or snippet3%
How they worked with Claude
7% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for mathematicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 855 moves out
- 1 Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +1.7% 8%
- 2 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 7%
- 3 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
- 4 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 1,003 moves in
- 1 Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +1.7% 6%
- 2 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
- 3 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 10% bachelor's
- 25% master's
- 5% post-master's certificate
- 5% professional doctorate
- 45% research doctorate
- 10% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
20 programs, such as Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other, Mathematics, General and Algebra and Number Theory.
See all
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
- Mathematics, General
- Algebra and Number Theory
- Analysis and Functional Analysis
- Geometry/Geometric Analysis
- Topology and Foundations
- Mathematics, Other
- Applied Mathematics, General
- Computational Mathematics
- Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Financial Mathematics
- Mathematical Biology
- Applied Mathematics, Other
- Mathematical Statistics and Probability
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Mathematics and Statistics, Other
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Mathematical Economics
- Mathematics and Atmospheric/Oceanic Science
- Logic
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/15-2021.00