Careers / Anthropologists and Archeologists

Anthropologists and Archeologists — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$70,770

United States, 2025

Employment

8,990

United States, 2025

Typical education

Doctoral Degree

Job Zone 5

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.

O*NET code
19-3091.00
Job zone
5
Experience required
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Typical tasks

  • Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns.
  • Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions.
  • Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
  • Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.
  • Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
  • Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
  • Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
  • Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$49,050
10th
$59,400
25th
$70,770
Median
$89,670
75th
$108,060
90th

10th percentile

$49,050

25th percentile

$59,400

75th percentile

$89,670

90th percentile

$108,060

Most important skills

  • Writing4.3
  • Speaking4.3
  • Critical Thinking4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Monitoring3.5
  • Learning Strategies3.4
  • Instructing3.3
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  • Social Perceptiveness3.1

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 17 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

17

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Writing4.35.0Not selected5.0
Reading Comprehension4.15.0Not selected5.0
Speaking4.34.8Not selected4.8
Critical Thinking4.14.8Not selected4.8
Active Listening4.14.4Not selected4.4
Active Learning3.94.3Not selected4.3
Complex Problem Solving3.83.9Not selected3.9
Learning Strategies3.43.9Not selected3.9
Monitoring3.53.6Not selected3.6
Instructing3.33.6Not selected3.6
Judgment and Decision Making3.33.6Not selected3.6
Social Perceptiveness3.13.4Not selected3.4
Coordination3.13.3Not selected3.3
Management of Personnel Resources3.03.0Not selected3.0
Science3.03.0Not selected3.0
Systems Analysis3.03.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
MA$121,300802025
Boston, MA$117,080702025
Boise City, ID$104,250902025
NE$94,520402025
Anchorage, AK$94,210602025
CT$91,4202025
AK$89,8101302025
ID$88,7101702025
Washington, DC$87,4002502025
Portland, OR$85,1601302025
OR$84,9702402025
HI$84,5302102025
Urban Honolulu, HI$84,5301702025
Durham, NC$80,270302025
Richmond, VA$80,2302025
VA$80,2303202025
Philadelphia, PA$79,780502025
PA$79,6601302025
Sacramento, CA$79,5302002025
MT$79,420802025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Anthropologists and Archeologists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.