Archivists
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 25-4011.00United States
Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
- Median annual earnings
- $63,136
- Projected change
- +7.1%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 10.84K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
90.3% of the workforce
Growing to 11.61K by 2035
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The work
What archivists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Locate new materials and direct their acquisition and display.
- Authenticate and appraise historical documents and archival materials.
- Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes.
- Specialize in an area of history or technology, researching topics or items relevant to collections to determine what should be retained or acquired.
- Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $37,491
- 25th percentile
- $48,404
- 50th percentile
- $63,136
- 75th percentile
- $85,569
- 90th percentile
- $121,756
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $63,136 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.1%faster than average
202510,842 jobs
2035 projected11,608 jobs
766 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 90.3%
- Bachelor's degree
- 9.7%
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.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- 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.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Archivists274 postings
- 02Records Specialists115 postings
- 03Records Clerks80 postings
- 04Digital Archivists78 postings
- 05Archives Assistants74 postings
- 06Records Management Specialists70 postings
- 07Digitization Assistants64 postings
- 08Imaging Specialists53 postings
- 09Document Scanners49 postings
- 10Rights Managers48 postings
- 11Clerks46 postings
- 12Archives Technicians45 postings
- 13Document Specialists43 postings
- 14Project Archivists42 postings
- 15Records Analysts41 postings
- 16Records Managers40 postings
- 17Archives Specialists39 postings
- 18Digital Specialists38 postings
- 19Archives Interns34 postings
- 20Digitization Technicians31 postings
Top employers
- 01Iron Mountain Information Management70 postings
- 02Merck & Co.57 postings
- 03Robert Half51 postings
- 04Contact Government Services48 postings
- 05Iron Mountain35 postings
- 06Herc28 postings
- 07Library Systems & Services27 postings
- 08TriWest Healthcare Alliance23 postings
- 09Epiq Systems22 postings
- 10Ancestry21 postings
- 11AppleOne21 postings
- 12Minnesota Historical Society21 postings
- 13Adventist Health20 postings
- 14Hks19 postings
- 15Randstad19 postings
- 16Vital Holdings19 postings
- 17Net2Source16 postings
- 18ASCII Group14 postings
- 19Ancora Education14 postings
- 20Insight Global14 postings
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