Archivists
Archivists (SOC 25-4011) earn a median $64,550 a year ($31.03 an hour) in the United States, with 7,970 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is District of Columbia.
What archivists do
Archivists appraise, edit, and direct the safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents, and take part in research based on archival materials. Typical tasks include organizing archival records and developing classification systems, preparing document descriptions so that materials are easy to find, providing reference services to users, and creating and maintaining retrievable computer archives and databases. They establish and administer policies on public access and use of materials, direct workers who help arrange, catalog, and exhibit materials, and preserve records and objects by copying them to other media. They also investigate and write down where archival materials came from and why they matter historically. Alternate titles such as digital archivist, film archivist, and archives technician show the range of materials handled. Archivists differ from curators, who administer collections of objects, and from librarians, who manage collections for borrowing and reference.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported level of education for this occupation is a master's degree.
Also called: Accessioning Archivist, Archives Specialist, Archives Technician, Archivist, Digital Archivist.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $19.22 | $24.37 | $31.03 | $39.92 | $53.15 | $33.96 | 7,970 |
| Annual | $39,970 | $50,680 | $64,550 | $83,020 | $110,550 | $70,640 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where archivists earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $30.00 | $36.69 | $44.73 | $52.00 | $61.83 | $44.97 | 200 | 0.28 | 5.54 |
| Annual | $62,400 | $76,320 | $93,040 | $108,160 | $128,610 | $93,530 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | $16.59 | $22.02 | $38.36 | $57.30 | $57.30 | $39.12 | 160 | 0.10 | 1.89 |
| Annual | $34,500 | $45,790 | $79,790 | $119,190 | $119,190 | $81,360 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $25.12 | $30.91 | $37.59 | $48.25 | $56.29 | $39.28 | 270 | 0.07 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $52,240 | $64,290 | $78,180 | $100,360 | $117,080 | $81,700 | ||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | $20.74 | $33.46 | $37.01 | $45.41 | $56.08 | $38.79 | 40 | 0.08 | 1.51 |
| Annual | $43,140 | $69,600 | $76,990 | $94,460 | $116,650 | $80,690 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $25.44 | $30.53 | $36.77 | $44.60 | $50.01 | $37.80 | 640 | 0.18 | 3.52 |
| Annual | $52,910 | $63,500 | $76,490 | $92,770 | $104,020 | $78,620 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $20.93 | $25.58 | $33.91 | $43.83 | $58.75 | $37.10 | 1,160 | 0.06 | 1.25 |
| Annual | $43,540 | $53,200 | $70,530 | $91,170 | $122,190 | $77,160 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $23.12 | $29.09 | $35.51 | $45.62 | $55.57 | $37.52 | 960 | 0.10 | 1.93 |
| Annual | $48,080 | $60,510 | $73,860 | $94,890 | $115,580 | $78,040 | ||||
| Maryland | Hourly | $25.04 | $28.32 | $36.75 | $56.87 | $63.37 | $41.77 | 660 | 0.24 | 4.67 |
| Annual | $52,080 | $58,910 | $76,440 | $118,290 | $131,810 | $86,880 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $25.44 | $30.53 | $36.77 | $44.60 | $50.01 | $37.80 | 640 | 0.18 | 3.52 |
| Annual | $52,910 | $63,500 | $76,490 | $92,770 | $104,020 | $78,620 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $16.87 | $18.55 | $24.12 | $30.87 | $38.64 | $26.62 | 490 | 0.04 | 0.69 |
| Annual | $35,090 | $38,590 | $50,160 | $64,210 | $80,370 | $55,360 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | Hourly | $22.02 | $41.57 | $57.30 | $57.30 | $57.30 | $49.46 | 80 | 0.20 | 3.84 |
| Annual | $45,790 | $86,470 | $119,190 | $119,190 | $119,190 | $102,880 | ||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $29.00 | $38.68 | $46.90 | $58.67 | $69.62 | $48.51 | 110 | 0.10 | 1.85 |
| Annual | $60,310 | $80,460 | $97,550 | $122,030 | $144,810 | $100,910 | ||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | $25.05 | $29.00 | $40.67 | $53.99 | $63.76 | $42.43 | 670 | 0.21 | 4.15 |
| Annual | $52,110 | $60,320 | $84,590 | $112,290 | $132,620 | $88,250 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $27.02 | $30.80 | $37.75 | $45.73 | $50.38 | $39.19 | 310 | 0.15 | 2.86 |
| Annual | $56,190 | $64,070 | $78,530 | $95,120 | $104,790 | $81,510 | ||||
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | Hourly | $23.47 | $29.28 | $37.74 | $44.72 | $47.21 | $37.39 | 60 | 0.05 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $48,820 | $60,910 | $78,490 | $93,030 | $98,190 | $77,770 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $24.51 | $29.68 | $37.24 | $47.21 | $55.57 | $38.77 | 760 | 0.08 | 1.56 |
| Annual | $50,990 | $61,730 | $77,450 | $98,190 | $115,580 | $80,650 | ||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | $25.05 | $29.00 | $40.67 | $53.99 | $63.76 | $42.43 | 670 | 0.21 | 4.15 |
| Annual | $52,110 | $60,320 | $84,590 | $112,290 | $132,620 | $88,250 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $20.95 | $24.82 | $33.96 | $42.44 | $59.53 | $36.88 | 490 | 0.08 | 1.52 |
| Annual | $43,570 | $51,630 | $70,630 | $88,270 | $123,830 | $76,720 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $27.02 | $30.80 | $37.75 | $45.73 | $50.38 | $39.19 | 310 | 0.15 | 2.86 |
| Annual | $56,190 | $64,070 | $78,530 | $95,120 | $104,790 | $81,510 | ||||
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | Hourly | $22.79 | $28.52 | $36.75 | $45.42 | $62.29 | $38.92 | 230 | 0.17 | 3.38 |
| Annual | $47,390 | $59,310 | $76,440 | $94,470 | $129,570 | $80,960 | ||||
Top industries employing archivists
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools employ 16.4% of archivists nationally (1,310 jobs) at a median $64,260 a year ($30.90 an hour), followed by Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (15.6%) and Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) (10.8%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 1,310 | 16.4% | $64,260 | $30.90 |
| Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions NAICS 712100 | 1,240 | 15.6% | $52,450 | $25.22 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300 | 860 | 10.8% | $70,930 | $34.10 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999200 | 830 | 10.4% | $60,280 | $28.98 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100 | 560 | 7.0% | $109,970 | $52.87 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (7,970). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $60,050 for archivists in May 2021 and $64,550 in May 2025, with employment of 6,120 and 7,970.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $60,050 | $28.87 | 6,120 |
| May 2022 | $58,640 | $28.19 | 7,230 |
| May 2023 | $59,910 | $28.80 | 7,150 |
| May 2024 | $61,570 | $29.60 | 7,050 |
| May 2025 | $64,550 | $31.03 | 7,970 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
38 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia profile | $44.73 | $93,040 | $62,400 | $128,610 | 200 | 0.28 | 5.54 |
| 2 | Connecticut profile | $38.36 | $79,790 | $34,500 | $119,190 | 160 | 0.10 | 1.89 |
| 3 | Massachusetts profile | $37.59 | $78,180 | $52,240 | $117,080 | 270 | 0.07 | 1.42 |
| 4 | Rhode Island profile | $37.01 | $76,990 | $43,140 | $116,650 | 40 | 0.08 | 1.51 |
| 5 | Washington profile | $36.77 | $76,490 | $52,910 | $104,020 | 640 | 0.18 | 3.52 |
| 6 | Maryland profile | $36.75 | $76,440 | $52,080 | $131,810 | 660 | 0.24 | 4.67 |
| 7 | New York profile | $35.51 | $73,860 | $48,080 | $115,580 | 960 | 0.10 | 1.93 |
| 8 | California profile | $33.91 | $70,530 | $43,540 | $122,190 | 1,160 | 0.06 | 1.25 |
| 9 | New Jersey profile | $32.64 | $67,900 | $48,930 | $114,390 | 70 | 0.02 | 0.33 |
| 10 | Minnesota profile | $31.61 | $65,740 | $42,380 | $72,140 | 90 | 0.03 | 0.61 |
| 11 | Michigan profile | $30.72 | $63,890 | $39,070 | $110,780 | 160 | 0.04 | 0.71 |
| 12 | Oregon profile | $29.75 | $61,880 | $42,070 | $79,100 | 70 | 0.04 | 0.73 |
| 13 | New Hampshire profile | $29.52 | $61,410 | $38,400 | $93,330 | 50 | 0.07 | 1.43 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania profile | $29.18 | $60,690 | $39,950 | $89,610 | 360 | 0.06 | 1.15 |
| 15 | Missouri profile | $28.86 | $60,020 | $40,950 | $108,080 | 150 | 0.05 | 0.97 |
| 16 | Wisconsin profile | $28.56 | $59,400 | $37,440 | $84,300 | 220 | 0.08 | 1.47 |
| 17 | Illinois profile | $28.53 | $59,340 | $47,500 | $96,360 | 200 | 0.03 | 0.64 |
| 18 | Colorado profile | $28.47 | $59,210 | $37,160 | $106,870 | 70 | 0.02 | 0.48 |
| 19 | Louisiana profile | $28.40 | $59,070 | $37,990 | $85,790 | 50 | 0.02 | 0.48 |
| 20 | Georgia profile | $28.37 | $59,010 | $41,480 | $96,820 | 150 | 0.03 | 0.60 |
| 21 | Iowa profile | $28.37 | $59,010 | $27,630 | $79,290 | 40 | 0.03 | 0.53 |
| 22 | Ohio profile | $28.26 | $58,790 | $39,610 | $81,010 | 150 | 0.03 | 0.52 |
| 23 | Arkansas profile | $28.15 | $58,560 | $26,660 | $112,260 | 40 | 0.03 | 0.56 |
| 24 | Idaho profile | $28.06 | $58,370 | $38,390 | $78,090 | 30 | 0.04 | 0.68 |
| 25 | Alabama profile | $27.82 | $57,860 | $38,670 | $93,640 | 100 | 0.05 | 0.96 |
| 26 | Utah profile | $27.24 | $56,660 | $48,400 | $73,370 | 80 | 0.05 | 0.95 |
| 27 | Maine profile | $27.05 | $56,260 | $45,090 | $82,110 | 60 | 0.09 | 1.81 |
| 28 | North Carolina profile | $26.62 | $55,370 | $33,280 | $79,990 | 130 | 0.03 | 0.51 |
| 29 | Indiana profile | $26.07 | $54,220 | $43,320 | $75,490 | 70 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
| 30 | Delaware profile | $25.91 | $53,890 | $40,540 | $72,480 | 50 | 0.10 | 1.97 |
| 31 | Tennessee profile | $25.58 | $53,210 | $38,790 | $78,740 | 110 | 0.03 | 0.67 |
| 32 | South Carolina profile | $25.39 | $52,810 | $36,990 | $79,420 | 60 | 0.03 | 0.49 |
| 33 | Florida profile | $25.05 | $52,100 | $35,370 | $82,640 | 100 | 0.01 | 0.20 |
| 34 | Oklahoma profile | $24.97 | $51,940 | $32,170 | $77,250 | 80 | 0.05 | 0.89 |
| 35 | Texas profile | $24.12 | $50,160 | $35,090 | $80,370 | 490 | 0.04 | 0.69 |
| 36 | Kansas profile | $23.65 | $49,200 | $31,200 | $90,060 | 30 | 0.02 | 0.43 |
| 37 | Kentucky profile | $23.47 | $48,810 | $38,820 | $67,610 | 40 | 0.02 | 0.40 |
| 38 | Arizona profile | $22.60 | $47,010 | $31,200 | $66,790 | ** | ** | ** |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (25-4010), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Educational Instruction and Library Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 25-4011 Archivists.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 25-4011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 25-4011.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.