19
Historians is a notable career in the 19 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Historians against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
Education Administrators, All Other
11
Personal Service Managers, All Other
11
Managers, All Other
11
Buyers and Purchasing Agents
13
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
13
| soc | 19-3093 |
| title | Historians |
| onet code | 19-3093.00 |
| description | 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and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters. |
| job zone | 5 |
| major group | 19 |
| tot emp | 3,140 |
| a mean | 78,470 |
| a median | 74,050 |
| a pct10 | 38,630 |
| a pct25 | 55,190 |
| a pct75 | 96,330 |
| a pct90 | 128,500 |
| h mean | 37 |
| h median | 35 |
The day-to-day work of a historians typically centers on conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Writing. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.74 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working historians, the most common entry qualification is a Master's Degree (23.9%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 44% of incumbents. Entry pathways are mixed; a meaningful minority enters without a four-year degree.
Median annual pay is highest in District of Columbia at $117,960 and lowest in Utah at $32,000 — a 3.7× spread. The top five states (District of Columbia, North Carolina, Maryland, Washington, Virginia) average $101,504. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $117,960 | $112,220 | $58,870 | $157,980 | 260 |
| North Carolina | $101,440 | $93,800 | $48,400 | $125,880 | 30 |
| Maryland | $99,300 | $101,830 | $43,000 | $162,610 | 60 |
| Washington | $94,760 | $88,950 | $60,670 | $110,280 | 60 |
| Virginia | $94,060 | $103,230 | $61,150 | $157,980 | 180 |
| Illinois | $92,020 | $97,660 | $49,940 | $137,750 | 30 |
| Connecticut | $88,890 | $86,920 | $49,070 | $124,000 | 50 |
| Florida | $84,590 | $82,890 | $42,990 | $120,390 | 80 |
| Minnesota | $84,160 | $79,170 | $60,950 | $96,750 | — |
| Texas | $84,160 | $86,110 | $51,130 | $126,900 | 70 |
| California | $83,360 | $88,730 | $54,860 | $125,520 | 180 |
| Hawaii | $82,550 | $93,870 | $69,990 | $132,950 | 60 |
| Oregon | $76,830 | $84,220 | $61,810 | $107,130 | 60 |
| Nevada | $75,640 | $80,050 | $73,140 | $91,710 | — |
| New Jersey | $74,690 | $81,880 | $50,350 | $112,370 | 90 |
| Pennsylvania | $72,720 | $76,690 | $58,950 | $99,920 | 70 |
| Louisiana | $72,250 | $74,520 | $45,640 | $113,030 | 40 |
| Alabama | $71,070 | $75,880 | $43,100 | $120,640 | 60 |
| Missouri | $69,580 | $74,710 | $54,350 | $108,640 | 40 |
| Kansas | $68,310 | $76,450 | $47,260 | $122,530 | 40 |
| Indiana | $60,800 | $68,370 | $41,600 | $126,290 | 50 |
| Michigan | $59,520 | $64,690 | $41,210 | $81,930 | 70 |
| Georgia | $59,410 | $74,790 | $47,050 | $123,840 | 70 |
| Oklahoma | $53,440 | $58,190 | $30,450 | $93,640 | 50 |
| South Carolina | $51,980 | $57,400 | $37,030 | $91,990 | 60 |
| New York | $51,620 | $60,860 | $31,960 | $99,010 | 420 |
| Kentucky | $49,940 | $57,850 | $39,920 | $84,680 | 50 |
| Mississippi | $44,800 | $47,980 | $33,590 | $66,210 | 90 |
| Utah | $32,000 | $40,750 | $32,000 | $72,550 | 90 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for historians. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for County Historian or County Records Management Officer (County RMO) frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Historians compares to others in the 19 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Historians
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
Explore More Data Tools
For adjacent public-data tools, methodology notes, and network updates, visit DataPeek Facts.