BLS metro-level wage data places Archivists pay in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI at a median of $59,620 per year ($28.66/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $64,550, Milwaukee-Waukesha pays 8% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 40 archivistss are employed across the Milwaukee-Waukesha MSA in SOC 25-4011.

The Milwaukee-Waukesha pay distribution spans from $39,200 at the 10th percentile to $77,750 at the 90th — a 2.0× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $39,200 and the 75th at $65,290, so half of Milwaukee-Waukesha-based archivistss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide WI data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.