Archivists

Median salary

$64,550

Average salary

$70,640

Employment

7,970

Projected growth

3.8% growth

Annual openings

1,100

Typical entry education

Master's degree

What Archivists Do

Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 10.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

History and Archeologyimportance 4.3/5
English Languageimportance 4.0/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.7/5
Administrativeimportance 3.5/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.2/5
Telephone Conversations4.1/5
Contact With Others4.1/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Pharmacists98% skill match
Dietitians and Nutritionists98% skill match
Instructional Coordinators97% skill match
Physician Assistants97% skill match
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary97% skill match
Neurologists97% skill match
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary96% skill match
Fashion Designers96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
Instructingimportance 2.9/5
Systems Analysisimportance 2.9/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 2.9/5
Time Managementimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Archivists' Toolkit

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Integrity
Intellectual Curiosity
Cautiousness
Cooperation
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
InvestigativeMedium
SocialLow
ArtisticLow
RealisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where archivists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA14.52× national avg
2Montgomery, AL7.66× national avg
3Madison, WI5.75× national avg
4Brownsville-Harlingen, TX5.65× national avg
5Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV4.15× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Instructional CoordinatorsLateral Move
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through SecondaryCareer Change
Physician AssistantsCareer Change
Occupational TherapistsCareer Change

See the full career path from Archivists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.