Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 25-4011

Archivists

The published band from $39,970 to $110,550 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Law Teachers, Postsecondary.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Archivists: Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($129K) , Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary ($97K) , Business Teachers, Postsecondary ($99K) , Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary ($109K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Archivists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-4011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials
  2. 2. Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials
  3. 3. Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information
  4. 4. Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information sto…
  5. 5. Establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials
  6. 6. Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials
  7. 7. Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary
  8. 8. Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials
  9. 9. Locate new materials and direct their acquisition and display
  10. 10. Authenticate and appraise historical documents and archival materials
  11. 11. Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes
  12. 12. Specialize in an area of history or technology, researching topics or items relevant to collections to determine what should be retained…

Archivists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-4011 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.1 ; lead knowledge History and Archeology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.9
  3. 3. Writing 3.9
  4. 4. Speaking 3.5
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.4
  6. 6. Active Learning 3.4
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.3
  8. 8. Service Orientation 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. History and Archeology 4.3
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.9
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.8
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.7
  6. 6. Administrative 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$39,970 to $110,550
median $64,550 · ~2.8× spread
$65K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
1,100
Annual openings
7,970
Estimated US jobs
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Master's degree

Top Paying States for Archivists

1. New York $73,860
2. Maryland $76,440
3. Massachusetts $78,180
4. California $70,530
5. Washington $76,490
6. New Jersey $67,900
7. District of Columbia $93,040
8. Rhode Island $76,990
9. Connecticut $79,790
10. Minnesota $65,740

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $96,980
  2. 2. Business Teachers, Postsecondary $99,080
  3. 3. Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $109,270
  4. 4. Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500
  5. 5. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $107,310
  6. 6. Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $98,700

The OEWS band for Archivists runs from $39,970 (10th) to $110,550 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $64,550. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Master's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New York at $73,860. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Archivists pay-rank #48 in Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

On the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table (64 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Archivists lands at #48, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Archivists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Archivists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 25-4011

New York · top state for Archivists

$74K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$76K · behind New York

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer vs Archivists · $129K

Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer beside Archivists · $97K

Compare Archivists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Archivists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Archivists land on the Educational Instruction and Library Occupations median table? ▼
Archivists is pay-rank #48 of 64 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education ($64K), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($65K), Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School ($65K), Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School ($65K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do archivists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Archivists. Leading ones include: 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 sto…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for archivists? ▼
For SOC 25-4011, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.1), Active Listening (3.9), Writing (3.9), Speaking (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize History and Archeology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Archivists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $39,970 and the 90th at $110,550 for Archivists (2.8× spread). The national median is $64,550. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Archivists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Archivists is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 1,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Archivists? ▼
BLS assigns Master's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Archivists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Archivists? ▼
New York ($73,860), Maryland ($76,440), Massachusetts ($78,180) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Archivists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 25-4011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Archivists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics