SOC 19-3091BLS OEWS May 2025H-1B LCAs, last 12 months
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. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.
National median · BLS
$70,770
▲ +9.03%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$69,694
▲ +5.78%YoY · 22 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$75,620
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
8,990
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Anthropologists and Archeologists
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 22 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay
$49,050
$52,862
25th
$59,400
$59,750
Median (50th)
$70,770
$69,694
75th
$89,670
$76,754
90th — top pay
$108,060
$87,525
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $69,694 for Anthropologists and Archeologists —
1.5% below
the BLS national median of $70,770.
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Anthropologists and Archeologists
BLS projects employment of anthropologists and archeologists to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
10,200 → 10,800
+600 jobs
Projected change
+6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
8.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.
H-1B median$69,694
Change vs prior year+5.78%
After inflation (CPI-U)+2.57%
Wage level
LCAs
Share
P25
Median
P75
Level I
11
50%
$55,580
$65,000
$70,320
Top H-1B sponsors for Anthropologists and Archeologists
Employers with the most certified LCAs for this occupation nationwide. Browse all sponsors →
Employer
Certified LCAs
Median
Profile
Anthropologists and Archeologists salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Anthropologists and Archeologists salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Anthropologists and Archeologists
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What anthropologists and archeologists do
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.
Also called
ArchaeologistCommunication and Folklore SpecialistForensic AnthropologistResearcherAmerican Indian Policy SpecialistApplied AnthropologistApplied Cultural AnthropologistHistorical ArchaeologistResearch Archaeologist
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Anthropologists and Archeologists, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $70,770.
