diff --git a/src/cmd/stats.rs b/src/cmd/stats.rs
index 7d8dc53d3..ae098be99 100644
--- a/src/cmd/stats.rs
+++ b/src/cmd/stats.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The following additional "non-streaming" statistics require loading the entire f
 cardinality, mode/antimode, median, MAD, quartiles and its related measures (IQR,
 lower/upper fences & skewness).
 
-When computing “non-streaming” statistics, an Out-Of-Memory (OOM) heuristic check is done.
+When computing "non-streaming" statistics, an Out-Of-Memory (OOM) heuristic check is done.
 If the file is larger than the available memory minus a headroom buffer of 20% (which can be
 adjusted using the QSV_FREEMEMORY_HEADROOM_PCT environment variable), processing will be
 preemptively prevented.
@@ -794,46 +794,64 @@ pub fn run(argv: &[&str]) -> CliResult<()> {
                 stats_br_vec.push(work_br);
             }
 
-            // add the dataset-level stats
+            // Add dataset-level stats as additional rows ====================
             let num_stats_fields = stats_headers_sr.len();
             let mut dataset_stats_br = csv::ByteRecord::with_capacity(128, num_stats_fields);
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"_qsv_rowcount");
-            for _ in 2..num_stats_fields {
-                dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"");
-            }
+
+            // Helper closure to write a dataset stat row
+            let write_dataset_stat = |name: &[u8],
+                                      value: &[u8],
+                                      br: &mut csv::ByteRecord,
+                                      wtr: &mut csv::Writer<_>|
+             -> CliResult<()> {
+                br.clear();
+                br.push_field(name);
+                // Fill middle columns with empty strings
+                for _ in 2..num_stats_fields {
+                    br.push_field(b"");
+                }
+                // write _qsv_value as last column
+                br.push_field(value);
+                wtr.write_byte_record(br).map_err(|e| e.into())
+            };
+
+            // Write _qsv_rowcount
             let ds_record_count = itoa::Buffer::new()
                 .format(*record_count)
                 .as_bytes()
                 .to_owned();
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(&ds_record_count);
-            wtr.write_record(&dataset_stats_br)?;
+            write_dataset_stat(
+                b"_qsv_rowcount",
+                &ds_record_count,
+                &mut dataset_stats_br,
+                &mut wtr,
+            )?;
 
-            dataset_stats_br.clear();
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"_qsv_columncount");
-            for _ in 2..num_stats_fields {
-                dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"");
-            }
+            // Write _qsv_columncount
             let ds_column_count = itoa::Buffer::new()
                 .format(headers.len())
                 .as_bytes()
                 .to_owned();
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(&ds_column_count);
-            wtr.write_record(&dataset_stats_br)?;
+            write_dataset_stat(
+                b"_qsv_columncount",
+                &ds_column_count,
+                &mut dataset_stats_br,
+                &mut wtr,
+            )?;
 
-            dataset_stats_br.clear();
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"_qsv_filesize_bytes");
-            for _ in 2..num_stats_fields {
-                dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"");
-            }
+            // Write _qsv_filesize_bytes
             let ds_filesize_bytes = itoa::Buffer::new()
                 .format(fs::metadata(&path)?.len())
                 .as_bytes()
                 .to_owned();
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(&ds_filesize_bytes);
-            wtr.write_record(&dataset_stats_br)?;
+            write_dataset_stat(
+                b"_qsv_filesize_bytes",
+                &ds_filesize_bytes,
+                &mut dataset_stats_br,
+                &mut wtr,
+            )?;
 
-            // compute the hash using stats, instead of scanning the entire file
-            // so the performance is constant regardless of file size
+            // Compute hash of stats for data fingerprinting
             let stats_hash = {
                 #[allow(deprecated)]
                 // we use "deprecated" SipHasher explicitly instead of DefaultHasher,
@@ -842,32 +860,29 @@ pub fn run(argv: &[&str]) -> CliResult<()> {
                 // DefaultHasher may change in future Rust versions
                 let mut hasher =
                     std::hash::BuildHasherDefault::<std::hash::SipHasher>::default().build_hasher();
+
+                // Hash the first 20 columns of each stats record
+                // we only do the first 20 stats columns to compute the hash as those
+                // columns are always the same, even if other stats --options are used
                 for record in &stats_br_vec {
-                    for (i, field) in record.iter().enumerate() {
-                        // we only do the first 20 stats columns to compute the hash as those
-                        // columns are always the same, even if other stats --options are used
-                        if i >= 20 {
-                            break;
-                        }
+                    for field in record.iter().take(20) {
                         std::hash::Hash::hash(field, &mut hasher);
                     }
                 }
-                // we also add the dataset level stats to the hash
-                std::hash::Hash::hash(&ds_record_count, &mut hasher);
-                std::hash::Hash::hash(&ds_column_count, &mut hasher);
-                std::hash::Hash::hash(&ds_filesize_bytes, &mut hasher);
+
+                // Include dataset-level stats in hash
+                for stat in [&ds_record_count, &ds_column_count, &ds_filesize_bytes] {
+                    std::hash::Hash::hash(stat, &mut hasher);
+                }
+
                 std::hash::Hasher::finish(&hasher)
             };
 
-            dataset_stats_br.clear();
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"_qsv_hash");
-            for _ in 2..num_stats_fields {
-                dataset_stats_br.push_field(b"");
-            }
-            dataset_stats_br.push_field(itoa::Buffer::new().format(stats_hash).as_bytes());
-            wtr.write_record(&dataset_stats_br)?;
+            // Write _qsv_hash
+            let hash_bytes = itoa::Buffer::new().format(stats_hash).as_bytes().to_owned();
+            write_dataset_stat(b"_qsv_hash", &hash_bytes, &mut dataset_stats_br, &mut wtr)?;
 
-            // update the stats args json metadata
+            // update the stats args json metadata ===============
             current_stats_args.compute_duration_ms = start_time.elapsed().as_millis() as u64;
 
             if create_cache