Curators
Median $63,420
Occupation · SOC 25-4011
Archivists: pay and where the jobs are
What archivists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$64,550 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $70,640
- Median hourly wage
- $31.03
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.96
- Employment
- 7,970
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4011.
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How much do archivists make?
The median annual wage for archivists was $64,550 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,970 and the highest-paid 10% more than $110,550. As an hourly rate, the median is $31.03. About 7,970 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($93,040), Connecticut ($79,790) and Massachusetts ($78,180). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for archivists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,970 | $19.22 | $3,331 | $2,858 |
| 25th percentile | $50,680 | $24.37 | $4,223 | $3,575 |
| Median | $64,550 | $31.03 | $5,379 | $4,504 |
| 75th percentile | $83,020 | $39.92 | $6,918 | $5,603 |
| 90th percentile | $110,550 | $53.15 | $9,213 | $7,217 |
Archivists: pay by state
39 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$63,097 take-home in national prices
2
$58,802 take-home in national prices
3
$58,541 take-home in national prices
Where a median archivist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 200 | $93,040 | $62,400 | $128,610 | $69,344 | $63,097 |
| Connecticut | 160 | $79,790 | $34,500 | $119,190 | $60,925 | $58,802 |
| Massachusetts | 270 | $78,180 | $52,240 | $117,080 | $59,781 | $56,527 |
| Rhode Island | 40 | $76,990 | $43,140 | $116,650 | $59,875 | $58,541 |
| Washington | 640 | $76,490 | $52,910 | $104,020 | $61,580 | $57,544 |
| Maryland | 660 | $76,440 | $52,080 | $131,810 | $59,341 | $56,537 |
| New York | 960 | $73,860 | $48,080 | $115,580 | $57,049 | $52,862 |
| California | 1,160 | $70,530 | $43,540 | $122,190 | $55,114 | $49,778 |
| New Jersey | 70 | $67,900 | $48,930 | $114,390 | $53,918 | $49,555 |
| Minnesota | 90 | $65,740 | $42,380 | $72,140 | $51,766 | $52,490 |
| Michigan | 160 | $63,890 | $39,070 | $110,780 | $51,051 | $53,058 |
| Oregon | 70 | $61,880 | $42,070 | $79,100 | $47,410 | $45,869 |
| New Hampshire | 50 | $61,410 | $38,400 | $93,330 | $51,523 | $49,463 |
| Pennsylvania | 360 | $60,690 | $39,950 | $89,610 | $49,039 | $50,259 |
| Missouri | 150 | $60,020 | $40,950 | $108,080 | $48,522 | $53,429 |
| Wisconsin | 220 | $59,400 | $37,440 | $84,300 | $47,868 | $50,872 |
| Illinois | 200 | $59,340 | $47,500 | $96,360 | $47,067 | $47,087 |
| Colorado | 70 | $59,210 | $37,160 | $106,870 | $47,598 | $46,188 |
| Louisiana | 50 | $59,070 | $37,990 | $85,790 | $48,257 | $54,709 |
| Georgia | 150 | $59,010 | $41,480 | $96,820 | $47,398 | $49,223 |
| Iowa | 40 | $59,010 | $27,630 | $79,290 | $48,004 | $54,698 |
| Ohio | 150 | $58,790 | $39,610 | $81,010 | $48,245 | $52,002 |
| Arkansas | 40 | $58,560 | $26,660 | $112,260 | $47,554 | $54,699 |
| Idaho | 30 | $58,370 | $38,390 | $78,090 | $47,095 | $49,317 |
| Alabama | 100 | $57,860 | $38,670 | $93,640 | $46,256 | $52,076 |
| Utah | 80 | $56,660 | $48,400 | $73,370 | $45,651 | $46,176 |
| Maine | 60 | $56,260 | $45,090 | $82,110 | $44,984 | $46,351 |
| North Carolina | 130 | $55,370 | $33,280 | $79,990 | $44,969 | $47,674 |
| Indiana | 70 | $54,220 | $43,320 | $75,490 | $44,176 | $47,333 |
| Delaware | 50 | $53,890 | $40,540 | $72,480 | $42,951 | $43,034 |
| Tennessee | 110 | $53,210 | $38,790 | $78,740 | $44,934 | $48,911 |
| South Carolina | 60 | $52,810 | $36,990 | $79,420 | $43,427 | $46,323 |
| Florida | 100 | $52,100 | $35,370 | $82,640 | $44,042 | $42,588 |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $51,940 | $32,170 | $77,250 | $42,122 | $47,951 |
| Texas | 490 | $50,160 | $35,090 | $80,370 | $42,484 | $43,772 |
| Kansas | 30 | $49,200 | $31,200 | $90,060 | $39,767 | $44,152 |
| Kentucky | 40 | $48,810 | $38,820 | $67,610 | $39,808 | $44,153 |
| Arizona | Not published | $47,010 | $31,200 | $66,790 | $39,171 | $38,908 |
| Puerto Rico | 30 | $40,900 | $23,840 | $58,460 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.