The average salary for an archivist in the United States is around $64,550 per year.
Avg Salary
Archivists earn an average yearly salary of $64,550.
Wages typically start from $39,970 and go up to $110,550.
1% above national average Updated in 2025
Archivist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level archivist earnings begin at:
$53.15 per hour
$110,550 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level archivist earnings begin at:
$39.92 per hour
$83,020 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level archivist earnings begin at:
$31.03 per hour
$64,550 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level archivist earnings begin at:
$24.37 per hour
$50,680 per year
10th percentile
Starting level archivist earnings begin at:
$19.22 per hour
$39,970 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Archivist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $93,040 |
| Connecticut | $79,790 |
| Massachusetts | $78,180 |
| Rhode Island | $76,990 |
| Washington | $76,490 |
| Maryland | $76,440 |
| New York | $73,860 |
| California | $70,530 |
| New Jersey | $67,900 |
| Minnesota | $65,740 |
| Michigan | $63,890 |
| Oregon | $61,880 |
| New Hampshire | $61,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,690 |
| Missouri | $60,020 |
| Wisconsin | $59,400 |
| Illinois | $59,340 |
| Colorado | $59,210 |
| Louisiana | $59,070 |
| Georgia | $59,010 |
| Iowa | $59,010 |
| Ohio | $58,790 |
| Arkansas | $58,560 |
| Idaho | $58,370 |
| Alabama | $57,860 |
| Utah | $56,660 |
| Maine | $56,260 |
| North Carolina | $55,370 |
| Indiana | $54,220 |
| Delaware | $53,890 |
| Virginia | $53,290 |
| Tennessee | $53,210 |
| South Carolina | $52,810 |
| Florida | $52,100 |
| Oklahoma | $51,940 |
| Nevada | $50,850 |
| Texas | $50,160 |
| Kansas | $49,200 |
| Kentucky | $48,810 |
| Arizona | $47,010 |
| Vermont | $46,940 |
| New Mexico | $45,850 |
| Montana | $36,570 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,180 |
How do archivist salaries compare to similar careers?
Archivists earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than urban planners but more than humanitarians.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Urban planner salary | $89K |
| Historian salary | $77K |
| Anthropologist salary | $71K |
| Archaeologist salary | $71K |
| Curator salary | $63K |
| Archivist salary | $65K |
| Embalmer salary | $59K |
| Museum conservator salary | $51K |
| Humanitarian salary | $46K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)