Hunt sources for your question
Search an archive catalog for letters or newspaper stories about a place, listing promising ones to examine later.
Career profile
Historian
Historians build accounts of the past that stay within what the evidence supports.
When two reports of one event clash, you dig into who made each, check more documents, and explain the likely story and what remains unsettled.
A day in the life
Question two clashing sources
Check when each was made, who wrote it, and for whom, before deciding how far to trust either.
Back each claim with sources
Cite specific documents for each point so readers can check, and revise a conclusion another source undercuts.
Fact-check an exhibit or tour
In public-history jobs, read exhibit labels or tour scripts and fix any statement the record cannot support.
Quick facts
Master's degree
United States · 2025–2035
$76,750/year
United States · May 2025
3% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Master's degreeTypical entry preparation; requirements vary by position.
Pay
$76,750/yearNational median for historians, equivalent to $36.90 an hour.
Outlook
3% growthAbout 300 openings a year are projected nationally, including replacement openings.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy reading closely enough to notice what an account leaves out.
- You can change your explanation when evidence challenges it.
- You like making a complicated argument clear to another person.
Things to weigh
- A useful source may leave your question unanswered. You need to explain gaps without filling them with guesses.
- Much of the work is reading and writing. Some projects also require travel to records or interviewees.
Where AI may help
Searchable catalogs and text-search tools help you locate material across large collections.
What people still lead
You still need to judge context and test an interpretation against evidence. Text produced by artificial intelligence (AI) can contain convincing errors.
What we can’t predict yet
How much AI will take over searching and drafting remains unsettled. Access to undigitized records and the need to verify results can limit what these tools accomplish.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a reference when comparing actual offers.
The median and national spread
Historians had a median wage of $76,750 a year, or $36.90 an hour. The 10th-percentile annual wage was $42,730; the 90th-percentile wage was $131,810. These describe the wage distribution, not starting and senior salaries.
A small flow of openings
Employment is projected to grow 3%, with about 300 openings annually from growth and replacement. Funding for government agencies and historical organizations can affect opportunities.
Getting started
Study history at graduate level
- What the route involves
- After a bachelor's degree, complete graduate study in history or a related field; some programs include an internship.
- What it can lead to
- A master's degree provides the typical preparation for historian positions.
- What to check
- Some research positions require a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Meet federal history qualifications
- What the route involves
- Earn a history degree, or a related degree with at least 18 semester hours in history. A specified combination of equivalent coursework and appropriate experience or additional education is another route.
- What it can lead to
- This meets the basic subject requirements for federal History Series 0170 positions.
- What to check
- Federal jobs also apply grade-level qualification standards. Check the vacancy's education and experience requirements before treating yourself as eligible.
Graduate study is the usual route, but some positions accept bachelor's-level preparation.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Keep research notes that let a colleague retrace your sources and understand how you reached a conclusion.
Add a research method
Develop oral-history interviewing skills. In park history work, interviews can document experiences missing from written records.
Lead historical research
A possible next step is leading a history program, reviewing other historians' work, and guiding preservation research across several sites.
Where you can work
Museums
Your research reaches visitors through exhibits and programs, alongside curators and other museum staff. Public opening hours may mean evening or weekend work.
- Indoors
National park history offices
Your reports help park staff plan interpretation and evaluate historic places. You work with park and regional colleagues on preservation questions, often through an office-based history program.
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose two historical accounts of the same event from materials you can access. Note who made each, when, and for whom. Write 150 words explaining one agreement, one conflict, and what evidence you would seek next. Notice whether investigating the disagreement interests you.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Historians — 19-3093.00. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates — pinned facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035 — pinned facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Historians. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management. History Series 0170. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- American Historical Association. Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- American Historical Association. Guiding Principles for Artificial Intelligence in History Education. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- National Park Service. Park History Program: What We Do. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- National Park Service. Chief Historians of the National Park Service. Accessed 2026-10-10.