← All 785 jobsFile 15-2021
Mathematicians
Also filed here: Mathematician
Being rewritten
AI already performs most of the work in this job. Even so, the BLS expects 0.6% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #5 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +0.6% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $126,710 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 2,200 in the US, with about 100 openings a year
The work, 8 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles40%
AI performed this in about 1 in 709 Copilot conversations and completed it 58% of the time.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise20%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Present research or technical information11%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Design computer or information systems or applications9%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 938 conversations, and it got them there 85% of the time.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models8%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
AI helps with this: Analyze performance of systems or equipment2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 563 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 101 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 100 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 43% of the workStatisticians61% AI does, against 81% here+11% by 2035 · $105,650 · Master’s degree
- Shares 37% of the workPhysicists41% AI does, against 81% here+7.2% by 2035 · $172,250 · Doctoral or professional degree
- Shares 25% of the workAstronomers40% AI does, against 81% here+7.8% by 2035 · $128,820 · Doctoral or professional degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.39, higher than 99% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 15-2021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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