What Statistical Consultants Do

Few articles on statistical consulting report empirical data on what statistical consultants do, such as might be obtained through direct data collection. This article reports a survey of members of the Statistical Consulting Section of the American Statistical Association that included characteristics of working member consultants, what the respondents do in their work, and factors that go into setting consulting fees. The results of cluster analyses show that statistical consultants work in diverse content areas and also differ in the types of tasks they undertake. This study may provide new insights into possible career paths for those considering a consulting career.