Anthropologists and Archeologists
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 19-3091.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $66,837
- Projected change
- +8.1%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 11.56K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
40% of the workforce
Growing to 12.5K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What anthropologists and archeologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.
- Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.
- Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials.
- Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement.
- Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.
- Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.
- Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.
- Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.
- Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities.
- Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions.
- Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.
- Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction.
- Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances.
- Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $44,046
- 25th percentile
- $54,930
- 50th percentile
- $66,837
- 75th percentile
- $87,751
- 90th percentile
- $112,785
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $66,837 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.1%faster than average
202511,561 jobs
2035 projected12,495 jobs
934 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 40%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 30%
- Bachelor's degree
- 20%
- Some college
- 5%
- Associate degree
- 5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Archaeologists822 postings
- 02Archaeological Field Technicians483 postings
- 03Field Archaeologists163 postings
- 04Archaeological Technicians160 postings
- 05Principal Investigators124 postings
- 06Project Archaeologists123 postings
- 07Cultural Resources Managers91 postings
- 08Cultural Resources Specialists88 postings
- 09Archaeology Interns72 postings
- 10Cultural Resources Technicians71 postings
- 11Environmental Services Associates52 postings
- 12Biologists51 postings
- 13Building Engineers49 postings
- 14Natural Resources Specialists41 postings
- 15Field Supervisors38 postings
- 16Presentation Designers38 postings
- 17Field Technicians24 postings
- 18Historic Preservation Specialists21 postings
- 19Ecologists19 postings
- 20Field Scientists18 postings
Top employers
- 01Stantec266 postings
- 02WSP Global144 postings
- 03System One140 postings
- 04Jacobs Solutions133 postings
- 05Swca Environmental Consultants121 postings
- 06Hitachi70 postings
- 07Terracon Consultants66 postings
- 08Hanson Bridgett Llp51 postings
- 09Langan Engineering & Environmental Services49 postings
- 10Erm Company S.R.O.46 postings
- 11AECOM45 postings
- 12ICF International45 postings
- 13Colorado State University43 postings
- 14National Park Service38 postings
- 15Tetra Tech38 postings
- 16The Axel Group38 postings
- 17United States Department of the Interior36 postings
- 18HDR32 postings
- 19State Of Alaska32 postings
- 20Environmental Science Associates30 postings
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