Historians Salary and Pay
How much do Historians make?
In May 2024 the middle Historians worker earned $74,050 a year, the average was $78,470, and the survey counted 3,140 jobs. The 25th percentile is $55,190 and the 75th is $96,330.
One page for the whole Historians pay distribution: national ladder first, then all 29 state rows and the metro rankings, every figure from BLS OEWS May 2024.
Updated November 5, 2026
Salary converter for this occupation
Every level in the picker is a published BLS figure for Historians, not a national average. Annual-to-hourly conversions divide by 2,080 hours, the survey's full-time year; top-coded levels use $239,200, the floor BLS prints, so the true figure is higher.
The national wage ladder (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
| Pay level | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,630 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $55,190 | $26.54 |
| Median (50th) | $74,050 | $35.60 |
| 75th percentile | $96,330 | $46.31 |
| 90th percentile | $128,500 | $61.78 |
A percentile marks a point in this occupation's pay distribution: the worker one quarter of the way up the Historians ladder earns the 25th percentile wage, $55,190. BLS top-codes very high wages ($239,200+ a year, $115.00+ an hour) and marks estimates it cannot publish as n/p.
Employment and concentration
May 2024 employment stood at 3,140, or 0.00% of the U.S. total. New York leads the state table with 420 jobs; the top three states sum to 27.4% of the occupation. The concentration measure tells the more interesting story: District of Columbia posts a location quotient of 17.73, so a worker there is far more likely to meet a colleague in this field than the national pattern suggests.
One in ten workers in this field earns $38,630 or less, and one in ten earns $128,500 or more, so the top-to-bottom ratio is 3.3 to 1 and the annual gap is $89,870. The mean ($78,470) versus median ($74,050) comparison shows a right-skewed ladder where senior and specialist roles lift the average in this occupation.
Pay by state
Sorted by employment, the table below puts New York first at 420 jobs; sorted by median pay instead, District of Columbia would lead at $117,960. Both orderings are printed in one table:
| State | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 420 | 0.0 | 2.14 | $60,860 | $51,620 |
| District of Columbia | 260 | 0.4 | 17.73 | $112,220 | $117,960 |
| California | 180 | 0.0 | 0.49 | $88,730 | $83,360 |
| Virginia | 180 | 0.0 | 2.23 | $103,230 | $94,060 |
| Mississippi | 90 | 0.1 | 3.65 | $47,980 | $44,800 |
| New Jersey | 90 | 0.0 | 1.02 | $81,880 | $74,690 |
| Utah | 90 | 0.1 | 2.51 | $40,750 | $32,000 |
| Florida | 80 | 0.0 | 0.38 | $82,890 | $84,590 |
| Georgia | 70 | 0.0 | 0.75 | $74,790 | $59,410 |
| Michigan | 70 | 0.0 | 0.80 | $64,690 | $59,520 |
| Pennsylvania | 70 | 0.0 | 0.53 | $76,690 | $72,720 |
| Texas | 70 | 0.0 | 0.26 | $86,110 | $84,160 |
| Alabama | 60 | 0.0 | 1.36 | $75,880 | $71,070 |
| Hawaii | 60 | 0.1 | 5.06 | $93,870 | $82,550 |
| Maryland | 60 | 0.0 | 1.09 | $101,830 | $99,300 |
| Oregon | 60 | 0.0 | 1.38 | $84,220 | $76,830 |
| South Carolina | 60 | 0.0 | 1.40 | $57,400 | $51,980 |
| Washington | 60 | 0.0 | 0.79 | $88,950 | $94,760 |
| Connecticut | 50 | 0.0 | 1.40 | $86,920 | $88,890 |
| Indiana | 50 | 0.0 | 0.83 | $68,370 | $60,800 |
| Kentucky | 50 | 0.0 | 1.27 | $57,850 | $49,940 |
| Oklahoma | 50 | 0.0 | 1.55 | $58,190 | $53,440 |
| Kansas | 40 | 0.0 | 1.34 | $76,450 | $68,310 |
| Louisiana | 40 | 0.0 | 0.98 | $74,520 | $72,250 |
| Missouri | 40 | 0.0 | 0.61 | $74,710 | $69,580 |
| Illinois | 30 | 0.0 | 0.26 | $97,660 | $92,020 |
| North Carolina | 30 | 0.0 | 0.30 | $93,800 | $101,440 |
| Minnesota | n/p | n/p | n/p | $79,170 | $84,160 |
| Nevada | n/p | n/p | n/p | $80,050 | $75,640 |
The occupation in context
Ranked against all 826 published occupations, Historians stands number 785 by employment and number 260 by median pay. Inside its own major group, Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the group median wage is $84,150 across 48 detailed occupations, so this occupation pays 12% less than its group median, and it supplies 0.2% of the group's 1,446,780 jobs. In 15 of the 29 states with a published median, the state median beats the national median of $74,050, which is the single best quick test of whether this occupation's pay is set nationally or locally: a high count means local markets regularly outbid the national figure.
Metropolitan areas: where the jobs and the pay sit
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is the largest metro employer with 420 jobs, 13.4% of the national total. The first table ranks metros by employment; the second ranks them by mean pay among metros with at least 500 jobs in the occupation, because a three-person metro can top a pay table by accident.
Largest metro employers
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 420 | $112,370 | $115,710 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 140 | $84,350 | $78,550 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 80 | $37,050 | $32,000 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 60 | $94,200 | $82,550 |
| Rochester, NY | 50 | $61,410 | $48,620 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 40 | $62,040 | $54,080 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 40 | $67,250 | $59,400 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 40 | $92,710 | $83,360 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 40 | $92,760 | $94,590 |
| Montgomery, AL | 30 | $74,760 | $72,550 |
What the median pay looks like as a budget
Budget arithmetic on the median: $6,171 a month before tax, $2,848 biweekly, $1,424 weekly. Moving from the 25th percentile ($55,190) to the 75th ($96,330) is worth $41,140 a year, which is the realistic size of the experience and specialization premium inside this occupation. To turn any of these gross figures into spendable money, run them through the paycheck calculator; to weigh an offer against your current role, use the salary calculator; to test a raise against prices, the raise vs inflation calculator.
To place a real offer: a salary of $81,455 would sit between the median ($74,050) and the 75th percentile ($96,330), inside the top half but outside the top quarter of this occupation's ladder. An offer at the 25th percentile, $55,190, is $18,860 under the median, the typical size of the discount attached to entry-level or low-cost-market postings in this field.
Related occupations in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
The occupations BLS groups with this one, by size: Survey Researchers, Life Scientists, All Other, Nuclear Technicians, Political Scientists, Hydrologists, Sociologists. Every one of the 826 published occupations is indexed on the Careers hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary for Historians?
BLS publishes both centers: the mean annual wage is $78,470 and the median is $74,050 (May 2024). The median is usually the better answer to what a typical worker makes, because the mean is pulled by the highest earners.
Where do Historians earn the most?
At state level, District of Columbia posts the highest median at $117,960. At metro level, BLS publishes no metro estimates for this occupation.
How many Historians jobs are there?
3,140 nationally in May 2024. The biggest metro employer is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV with 420 jobs.
Is $74,050 a good salary for Historians?
It is the exact middle of the occupation: half of the 3,140 counted workers earn more, half earn less. Against the occupation's own ladder, an offer above $96,330 is a top-quartile offer and one below $55,190 is a bottom-quartile one.