Archivists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$64,550
United States, 2025
Employment
7,970
United States, 2025
Typical education
Master's Degree
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
- O*NET code
- 25-4011.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical tasks
- Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
- Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
- Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
- Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology.
- Establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials.
- Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.
- Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary.
- Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$39,970
25th percentile
$50,680
75th percentile
$83,020
90th percentile
$110,550
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Writing3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.5
- Active Learning3.4
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Service Orientation3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Systems Evaluation2.9
- Time Management2.9
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 10 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
10
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
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.5 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $68,020
Compare with ArchivistsSupplemental
National median $47,540
Compare with ArchivistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport, CT | $119,190 | 80 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $97,550 | 110 | 2025 |
| DC | $93,040 | 200 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $84,590 | 670 | 2025 |
| CT | $79,790 | 160 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $78,530 | 310 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $78,490 | 60 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $78,220 | 230 | 2025 |
| MA | $78,180 | 270 | 2025 |
| Olympia, WA | $77,990 | 100 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $77,450 | 760 | 2025 |
| RI | $76,990 | 40 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $76,990 | 40 | 2025 |
| WA | $76,490 | 640 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $76,440 | 230 | 2025 |
| MD | $76,440 | 660 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $74,540 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $74,320 | 180 | 2025 |
| NY | $73,860 | 960 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $70,630 | 490 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Archivists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer 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.