Science
Historian
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and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.
Median pay
$76,750
Growth to 2035
+3%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
300
Time to qualify*
2 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Historian
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Historian: 12% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
Also called: Collections Specialist · County Historian · Historian · Historic Architectural Resources Curator · Historic Interpreter · Historic Preservation Coordinator · Historic Sites Registrar · Historical Interpreter
Outlook and AI
Historians held 3,800 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 3,900 by 2035 (+3%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Historian vs. Anthropologists and archeologists
- Historian vs. Archivist
- Historian vs. Curator
- Historian vs. History teachers, postsecondary
- Historian vs. Geographer
- Historian vs. Sociologist
- Historian vs. Anthropology and archeology teachers, postsecondary
- Historian vs. News analysts, reporters, and journalists
- Historian vs. Librarians and media collections specialists
- Historian vs. Social science research assistant