Occupation salary profile

Archivists

SOC 25-4011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.

National median · BLS
$64,550
▲ +4.84% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$58,308
▼ -2.29% YoY · 11 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$70,640
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
7,970
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 Archivists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 11 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$39,970$53,040
25th$50,680$55,299
Median (50th)$64,550$58,308
75th$83,020$76,697
90th — top pay$110,550$80,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $58,308 for Archivists — 9.7% below the BLS national median of $64,550.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Archivists

BLS projects employment of archivists to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
10,300 → 10,600
+300 jobs
Projected change
+3.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
7.1% 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).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a master's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

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 $58,308
Change vs prior year -2.29%
After inflation (CPI-U) -5.26%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Archivists

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.

Top skills
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Writing3.9
  • Speaking3.5
  • Active Learning3.4
  • Critical Thinking3.4
  • Complex Problem Solving3.3
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
  • Service Orientation3.1
  • Monitoring3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • History and Archeology4.3
  • English Language4.0
  • Customer and Personal Service3.9
  • Computers and Electronics3.8
  • Administration and Management3.7
  • Administrative3.5
  • Education and Training3.4
  • Law and Government3.2
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookArchivists' ToolkitAdobe AcrobatAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopExtensible markup language XMLHypertext markup language HTMLMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordAdlib Information Systems Adlib ArchiveAdobe Premiere ProApple Final Cut ProArchon

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 archivists do

  • 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.
Also called
ArchivistRecords ManagerRegistrarState ArchivistAccessioning ArchivistDigital ArchivistFilm ArchivistMuseum ArchivistReference ArchivistUniversity Archivist
More job titles for this occupation (13)
Archives SpecialistArchives Technician (Archives Tech)Digital Asset ArchivistDigitization AssistantDocument Management Technician (Document Management Tech)Document ScannerImage ArchivistProcessing ArchivistProject ArchivistRecords AssociateRecords ClerkRecords Management SpecialistRecords Specialist

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.