Archivists Career, Salary and Skills
Archivists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $64,550 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 7,970. Wage data is published for 81 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
Master's Degree
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$64,550
Hourly median
$31.03
Employment
7,970
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Writing | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Active Learning | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.12 |
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.
Technology
- Adlib Information Systems Adlib Archive
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- Archivists' Toolkit
- Archon
- Corel Paint Shop Pro
- Database software
- DiMeMa CONTENTdm
- Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML
Archivists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Archivists Salary in CAMedian $70,530 · Employment 1,160
- Archivists Salary in NYMedian $73,860 · Employment 960
- Archivists Salary in New York, NYMedian $77,450 · Employment 760
- Archivists Salary in Washington, DCMedian $84,590 · Employment 670
- Archivists Salary in MDMedian $76,440 · Employment 660
- Archivists Salary in WAMedian $76,490 · Employment 640
- Archivists Salary in TXMedian $50,160 · Employment 490
- Archivists Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $70,630 · Employment 490
- Archivists Salary in PAMedian $60,690 · Employment 360
- Archivists Salary in Seattle, WAMedian $78,530 · Employment 310
- Archivists Salary in MAMedian $78,180 · Employment 270
- Archivists Salary in Boston, MAMedian $78,220 · Employment 230
Related careers
- Correspondence ClerksNational median $46,800
- Health Information Technologists and Medical RegistrarsNational median $68,020
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and ExecutiveNational median $47,540
- EditorsNational median $77,920
- Office Clerks, GeneralNational median $45,010
- Proofreaders and Copy MarkersNational median $51,120
- Instructional CoordinatorsNational median $77,440
- Library Assistants, ClericalNational median $36,910
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.