Historians
Historians earn an average annual salary of $91,141, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 28.6% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Historians workforce.
Employment Over Time
180 Workforce in 2023
The Historians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Historians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$91,141 Average Wage
In 2023, Historians earned an average of $91,141.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Historians.
Salary distribution for Historians.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
505 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -15.8%
425 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -29.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Historians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Historians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Historians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Historians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -7.8% growth (Current: $98,117)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Historians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Historians.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 120 employees, $93,563 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Historians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 40 employees, $95,281 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 30 employees, $98,117 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 20 employees, $84,691 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 20 employees, $90,352 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 10 employees, $97,200 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Historians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Historians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Historians in 2023 was 180 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Historians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Historians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Historians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Historians in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Historians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Historians workers.
Education level distribution for Historians.
Skills
Historians need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Writing, Active Listening, Speaking.
Required skills for Historians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Historians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Historians include History and Archeology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Geography.
Knowledge areas required for Historians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Historians include Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Historians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Historians.
Daily Activities
Historians spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Thinking Creatively, Documenting/Recording Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Historians.
About
Historians
The average yearly wage for Historians was $91,141 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-3093 - Historians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Historians reports an average salary of $91,141.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 180 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.