Life, Physical & Social Science
Historians
Also called: Collections Specialist, County Historian, Historian, Historic Architectural Resources Curator
US median pay
$76,750
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+3%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
300
3,800 employed
Typical entry education
Master's degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.
What they do day to day
- Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
- Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
- Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
- Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
- Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
- Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
- Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
- Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
- Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
- Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.4/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Instructing3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Time Management2.9/5
- Persuasion2.8/5
- Negotiation2.5/5
Knowledge
- History and Archeology4.6/5
- English Language4.1/5
- Sociology and Anthropology3.6/5
- Geography3.5/5
- Administrative3.5/5
- Education and Training3.3/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Master's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Master's degree64%
- Bachelor's degree10%
Who this job suits
Mostly Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.