19 Series · SOC 19-3091
Anthropologists and Archeologists Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $70,770
- Median / year
- $108,060
- Top 10% earn
- +3.7%
- Growth '23–'33
- 8,990
- US workers
Anthropologists and Archeologists professionals earn a median $70,770/year ($34.02/hr) nationally. The salary ranges from $49,050 (10th percentile) to $108,060 (90th percentile). Employment is projected to grow3.7% from 2023 to 2033, faster than average. The highest-paying state is Massachusetts at $121,300. Approximately 8,990 people work in this role across the U.S. Entry-level education: Master's degree. Workplace safety grade: A (Very Safe).
Anthropologists and Archeologists (SOC 19-3091) pays a national median of $70,770 per year according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey released in May 2025. Full-range compensation stretches from $49,050 at the 10th percentile to $108,060 at the 90th, with a mean of $75,620 indicating a right-skew where top earners pull the average above the midpoint. An estimated 8,990 Americans work in this occupation across 46 reporting states and 61 metro areas.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +3.7% change in employment from 2023 to 2033, which the agency classifies as faster than average relative to the 5% all-occupations baseline. About 800 openings are projected per year, combining new positions with replacement needs from retirements and occupation-switchers. Typical entry-level preparation is Master's degree. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) produce a workplace-safety grade of A for this role, with a fatality rate of 1.5 per 100,000 and injury rate of 0.7 per 100.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Massachusetts pays the highest state median at $121,300, which is +71% above the national figure. The top metro is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH at $117,080 — metro premiums typically reflect higher cost of living, industry concentration, or specialized employer demand. When using this page for negotiation or career planning, pair the national median with the state and metro rows below, remember that BLS wages exclude benefits, bonuses, and overtime, and revisit after each May OEWS release since percentiles shift with cost-of-living cycles and industry demand.
Median Salary
$70,770
per year
Median Hourly
$34.02/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$75,620
average
Employment
8,990
jobs nationwide
Bar fills relative to a $200K reference ceiling. Marker shows the all-occupations US median for context — anything to the right of it earns above the typical American worker.
Job Outlook (2023–2033)
Projected Growth
+3.7%
Faster than average
Annual Openings
800
per year (projected)
Typical Education
Master's degree
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2023–2033
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Very Safe
Safety Grade (BLS 2023)
Fatality Rate
1.5/100K
Injury Rate
0.7/100
Danger Index
3.6/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Anthropologists and Archeologists roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ 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.
- ▸ Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
- ▸ Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.
- ▸ Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.
- ▸ Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.
- ▸ Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures.
- ▸ 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.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
10th Percentile
$49,050
25th Percentile
$59,400
Median
$70,770
75th Percentile
$89,670
90th Percentile
$108,060
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 46 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $121,300 | +71% above national |
| 2 | Nebraska | $94,520 | +34% above national |
| 3 | Connecticut | $91,420 | +29% above national |
| 4 | Alaska | $89,810 | +27% above national |
| 5 | Idaho | $88,710 | +25% above national |
| 6 | Oregon | $84,970 | +20% above national |
| 7 | Hawaii | $84,530 | +19% above national |
| 8 | Virginia | $80,230 | +13% above national |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $79,660 | +13% above national |
| 10 | Montana | $79,420 | +12% above national |
| 11 | Wyoming | $76,400 | +8% above national |
| 12 | Alabama | $75,690 | +7% above national |
| 13 | Washington | $74,790 | +6% above national |
| 14 | Utah | $73,920 | +4% above national |
| 15 | North Carolina | $73,130 | +3% above national |
| 16 | California | $72,240 | +2% above national |
| 17 | Kentucky | $72,230 | +2% above national |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $71,740 | +1% above national |
| 19 | Puerto Rico | $70,950 | same as national |
| 20 | Colorado | $68,620 | 3% below national |
| 21 | New Mexico | $68,180 | 4% below national |
| 22 | Texas | $67,700 | 4% below national |
| 23 | Iowa | $67,270 | 5% below national |
| 24 | New York | $67,220 | 5% below national |
| 25 | Missouri | $66,930 | 5% below national |
| 26 | New Jersey | $66,230 | 6% below national |
| 27 | Minnesota | $65,920 | 7% below national |
| 28 | Arizona | $65,290 | 8% below national |
| 29 | Michigan | $64,700 | 9% below national |
| 30 | Nevada | $64,390 | 9% below national |
| 31 | North Dakota | $63,830 | 10% below national |
| 32 | Indiana | $63,730 | 10% below national |
| 33 | South Carolina | $63,130 | 11% below national |
| 34 | South Dakota | $63,130 | 11% below national |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $63,130 | 11% below national |
| 36 | Arkansas | $62,160 | 12% below national |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $61,160 | 14% below national |
| 38 | Tennessee | $60,310 | 15% below national |
| 39 | Illinois | $59,560 | 16% below national |
| 40 | Florida | $59,270 | 16% below national |
| 41 | Ohio | $59,160 | 16% below national |
| 42 | Georgia | $58,990 | 17% below national |
| 43 | West Virginia | $54,340 | 23% below national |
| 44 | Maryland | $54,160 | 23% below national |
| 45 | Louisiana | $47,750 | 33% below national |
| 46 | Kansas | $41,870 | 41% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 61 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $117,080 | +65% above national |
| 2 | Boise City, ID | $104,250 | +47% above national |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK | $94,210 | +33% above national |
| 4 | Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $92,620 | +31% above national |
| 5 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $87,400 | +23% above national |
| 6 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $85,160 | +20% above national |
| 7 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $84,530 | +19% above national |
| 8 | Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $83,600 | +18% above national |
| 9 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $80,270 | +13% above national |
| 10 | Richmond, VA | $80,230 | +13% above national |
| 11 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $79,780 | +13% above national |
| 12 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $79,530 | +12% above national |
| 13 | North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $78,850 | +11% above national |
| 14 | High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area | $77,890 | +10% above national |
| 15 | Jacksonville, FL | $77,830 | +10% above national |
| 16 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $76,010 | +7% above national |
| 17 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $75,480 | +7% above national |
| 18 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $74,630 | +5% above national |
| 19 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $74,490 | +5% above national |
| 20 | San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $74,400 | +5% above national |
| 21 | Tucson, AZ | $73,860 | +4% above national |
| 22 | Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $73,640 | +4% above national |
| 23 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $72,740 | +3% above national |
| 24 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $70,690 | same as national |
| 25 | Albuquerque, NM | $68,180 | 4% below national |
| 26 | Santa Fe, NM | $67,040 | 5% below national |
| 27 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $66,620 | 6% below national |
| 28 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $66,560 | 6% below national |
| 29 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $66,310 | 6% below national |
| 30 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $66,160 | 7% below national |
| 31 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $66,040 | 7% below national |
| 32 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $65,920 | 7% below national |
| 33 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $65,510 | 7% below national |
| 34 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $65,240 | 8% below national |
| 35 | Flagstaff, AZ | $65,170 | 8% below national |
| 36 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $64,860 | 8% below national |
| 37 | Reno, NV | $64,390 | 9% below national |
| 38 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $63,900 | 10% below national |
| 39 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $63,630 | 10% below national |
| 40 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $63,010 | 11% below national |
| 41 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $62,520 | 12% below national |
| 42 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $62,410 | 12% below national |
| 43 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $62,330 | 12% below national |
| 44 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $62,000 | 12% below national |
| 45 | Mobile, AL | $61,110 | 14% below national |
| 46 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $60,980 | 14% below national |
| 47 | Knoxville, TN | $60,900 | 14% below national |
| 48 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $60,780 | 14% below national |
| 49 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $60,770 | 14% below national |
| 50 | Pittsburgh, PA | $60,690 | 14% below national |
| 51 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | $60,350 | 15% below national |
| 52 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $59,560 | 16% below national |
| 53 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $59,330 | 16% below national |
| 54 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $58,500 | 17% below national |
| 55 | Savannah, GA | $56,050 | 21% below national |
| 56 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $55,370 | 22% below national |
| 57 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $50,630 | 28% below national |
| 58 | Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $49,710 | 30% below national |
| 59 | Lexington Park, MD | $49,050 | 31% below national |
| 60 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $47,750 | 33% below national |
| 61 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $46,280 | 35% below national |
Similar Occupations in the Same Category
Other roles in SOC major group 19 (life physical and social science) with comparable pay and career paths.
Salary Guides
Primary source data
Frequently Asked Questions
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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.