What They Do: Historians research, analyze, interpret, and write about the past by studying historical documents and sources.
Work Environment: Historians must travel to carry out research. Most work full time.
How to Become One: Although most historian positions require a master’s degree, some research positions require a doctoral degree. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree may qualify for some entry-level positions, but most will find jobs in different fields.
Salary: The median annual wage for historians is $63,940.
Job Outlook: Employment of historians is projected to grow 4 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of historians with similar occupations.
Historians research, analyze, interpret, and write about the past by studying historical documents and sources.
Historians typically do the following:
Historians conduct research and analysis for governments, businesses, individuals, nonprofits, historical associations, and other organizations. They use a variety of sources in their work, including government and institutional records, newspapers, photographs, interviews, films, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries, letters, and other primary source documents. They also may process, catalog, and archive these documents and artifacts.
Many historians present and interpret history in order to inform or build upon public knowledge of past events. They often trace and build a historical profile of a particular person, area, idea, organization, or event. Once their research is complete, they present their findings through articles, books, reports, exhibits, websites, and educational programs.
In government, some historians conduct research to provide information on specific events or groups. Many write about the history of a particular government agency, activity, or program, such as a military operation or space missions. For example, they may research the people and events related to Operation Desert Storm.
In historical associations, historians may work with archivists, curators, and museum workers to preserve artifacts and explain the historical significance of a wide variety of subjects, such as historic buildings, religious groups, and battlegrounds. Workers with a background in history also may go into one of these occupations.
Many people with a degree in history also become high school teachers or postsecondary teachers.
Historians hold about 3,300 jobs. The largest employers of historians are as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 25% |
| Federal government, excluding postal service | 23% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 25% |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 15% |
Historians work in museums, archives, historical societies, and research organizations. Some work as consultants for these organizations while being employed by consulting firms, and some work as independent consultants.
Most historians work full time during regular business hours. Some work independently and are able to set their own schedules. Historians who work in museums or other institutions open to the public may work evenings or weekends. Some historians may travel to collect artifacts, conduct interviews, or visit an area to better understand its culture and environment.
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Although most historian positions require a master's degree, some research positions require a doctoral degree. Candidates with a bachelor's degree may qualify for some entry-level positions, but most will not be traditional historian jobs.
Historians need a master's degree or Ph.D. for most positions. Many historians have a master's degree in history or public history. Others complete degrees in related fields, such as museum studies, historical preservation, or archival management.
In addition to coursework, most master's programs in public history and similar fields require an internship as part of the curriculum.
Research positions within the federal government and positions in academia typically require a Ph.D. Students in history Ph.D. programs usually concentrate in a specific area of history. Possible specializations include a particular country or region, period, or field, such as social, political, or cultural history.
Candidates with a bachelor's degree in history may qualify for entry-level positions at museums, historical associations, or other small organizations. However, most bachelor's degree holders usually work outside of traditional historian jobs—for example, jobs in education, communications, law, business, publishing, or journalism.
Many employers recommend that prospective historians complete an internship during their formal educational studies. Internships offer an opportunity for students to learn practical skills, such as handling and preserving artifacts and creating exhibits. They also give students an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in a hands-on setting.
Analytical skills. Historians must be able to examine various types of historical resources and draw clear and logical conclusions based on their findings.
Communication skills. Historians must communicate effectively when collecting information, collaborating with colleagues, and presenting their research to the public through written documents and presentations.
Foreign language skills. Historians may need to review primary source materials that are not in English. This makes knowledge of the other language useful during research.
Problem-solving skills. Historians try to answer questions about the past. They may investigate something unknown about a past idea, event, or person; decipher historical information; or identify how the past has affected the present.
Research skills. Historians must be able to examine and process information from a large number of historical resources, including documents, images, and material artifacts.
The median annual wage for historians is $63,940. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,310, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $118,380.
The median annual wages for historians in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Federal government, excluding postal service | $101,910 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $61,910 |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | $51,460 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | $45,940 |
Most historians work full time during standard business hours. Some work independently and are able to set their own schedules. Historians who work in museums or other institutions open to the public may work evenings or weekends. Some historians may travel to collect artifacts, conduct interviews, or visit an area to better understand its culture and environment.
Employment of historians is projected to grow 4 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 300 openings for historians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Many organizations that employ historians, such as historical societies and historical consulting firms, depend on donations or public funding. Thus, employment growth will depend largely on the amount of funding available.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Historians | 3,300 | 3,400 | 4 | 100 |
For more information about historians, visit
American Association for State and Local History
American Historical Association
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.