Historians

Education and TrainingO*NET 19-3093.00United States

Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $67,515
Projected change: +10.5%
Typical education: Master's or Professional degree
Employment: 5.69K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What historians do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.
Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.
Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories.
Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $33,440
25th percentile: $48,472
50th percentile: $67,515
75th percentile: $95,051
90th percentile: $140,173

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $67,515 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+10.5%faster than average

20255,687 jobs

2035 projected6,282 jobs

595 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: 64.5%
Bachelor's degree: 10.2%
High school diploma or less: 10.2%
Some college: 8.2%
Doctoral degree or more: 6.5%
Certificate: 0.5%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Podcasting
TikTok
Historic Preservation
Project Management
Architectural History
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
Public History
Archaeology
Workflow Management
Art History
Collections
ArcGIS (GIS Software)
Office Equipment
Anthropology
Cultural Resource Management
Data Collection
AVEVA PI (Software)
Automation
Data Entry
Archival Research

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.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
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.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Seasonal Associates231 postings
02Architectural Historians186 postings
03Art Historians60 postings
04Historic Preservation Specialists53 postings
05Historians50 postings
06National Speakers40 postings
07Oral Historians35 postings
08Lead Engineers33 postings
09Right of Way Specialists29 postings
10Title 1 Aides23 postings
11Emergency Room Managers21 postings
12Genius Administrators21 postings
13Document Specialists18 postings
14Interns18 postings
15Accessibility Coordinators14 postings
16Architects14 postings
17Historic Preservation Planners14 postings
18Specialist Developers14 postings
19Leads12 postings
20Postdoctoral Fellows12 postings

Top employers

01Apple597 postings
02Percheron53 postings
03American Cruise Lines40 postings
04Cognizant Technology Solutions27 postings
05Fossil Group21 postings
06Clay County District Schools Bus Maintenance19 postings
07Barr Engineering Co.18 postings
08Jacobs Solutions18 postings
09Olsson15 postings
10Pearson Education15 postings
11Swca Environmental Consultants15 postings
12State of Minnesota14 postings
13Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania13 postings
14Clay County School District12 postings
15National Park Service12 postings
16State of Florida12 postings
17United States Department of Defense12 postings
18Welocalize12 postings
19Harvard University11 postings
20United States Congress11 postings

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