Hourly rates
University consulting centers set the floor. UC Irvine's Center for Statistical Consulting charges $115 per hour for its own researchers, $152 for non-profits, and $178 for commercial clients. Private firms sit above that: Professional Statistical Services lists $125–150 per hour for researchers and $150–250 for business clients (and $525–750 for forensic and expert-witness work); Omega Statistics lists $175 per hour for researchers and $250 for corporate clients.
The practical range for an experienced statistician in the United States is therefore $125–250 per hour, with university centers at $115–178 and commercial or litigation work above $250.
Per-project prices
Hourly rates are hard to budget, so many independent statisticians quote fixed prices for defined pieces of work. Fisher Statistics, a solo PhD practice, describes small projects at about $500, medium projects at $1,500–2,500, and complex projects up to about $3,500. DK Statistical Consulting sets a $750 minimum for a new client and notes that analysis with a written results section has never come in under $1,000; its analysis-plus-results packages run $1,800–2,700. Omega Statistics prices a dissertation results analysis from $2,000, a protocol review from $2,000, and a sample-size calculation from $1,000.
Publisher services occupy the low end with tightly scoped products: Editage sells a rapid statistical review for $200 and an inferential analysis for $1,200, delivered by staff biostatisticians. Expert manuscript review that bundles statistical review with subject-matter review typically runs $1,000–1,800 per manuscript.
What drives the price
Four things move a quote more than anything else. Scope: one focused question costs a fraction of "look at everything." Data readiness: cleaning, merging, and reshaping are usually billed separately, because nobody can price them before seeing the data. Deliverable: a conversation is cheapest, written notes cost more, and reproducible code with a memo costs the most — and is worth the most, because you can rerun it. Who does the work: a firm's junior analyst and a senior statistician who has taught the method for twenty years are not the same product, whatever the hourly rate says.
Budgeting it in a grant
Funders routinely accept statistical consulting as a direct cost, and reviewers increasingly expect it. Ask the consultant for a written scope and quote before you submit; that document is your budget justification. For a typical single-study project, budget the consultation and review stage separately from the analysis stage — the first is small and certain, the second depends on the data.
Red flags
Be cautious with anyone who guarantees significance, acceptance, or a passed defense; who offers to write your results or discussion section; who promises same-day analysis of a dissertation dataset; or who will not put scope, deliverables, and price in writing before starting. None of those is a statistics service.
Where StatGazer sits
Our published research packages start at $500 for a Written Research Consultation on one focused question, $750 for a Methods & Analysis Review with written notes and clarification by email, and $1,500 for a Statistical Analysis Engagement delivered as reproducible code with a memo. Every engagement is founder-led, scoped in writing before payment, and bounded by the same rule: the research stays yours. Details and the fine print are on the statistical consulting page.
Sources
- UC Irvine Center for Statistical Consulting — rates
- Professional Statistical Services — fee schedule
- Omega Statistics — fee schedule
- Fisher Statistics — “How much does professional statistical expertise cost?”
- DK Statistical Consulting — thesis & dissertation consulting
- Editage — statistical analysis and review services
- Manusights — manuscript review service pricing 2026