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Archaeologist vs paleontologist

The differences between archaeologists and paleontologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an archaeologist, becoming a paleontologist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a paleontologist has an average salary of $90,653, which is higher than the $50,314 average annual salary of an archaeologist.

The top three skills for an archaeologist include excavations, GPS and GIS. The most important skills for a paleontologist are nepa, natural history, and .

Archaeologist vs paleontologist overview

ArchaeologistPaleontologist
Yearly salary$50,314$90,653
Hourly rate$24.19$43.58
Growth rate6%5%
Number of jobs4,260251
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4145
Years of experience212

Archaeologist vs paleontologist salary

Archaeologists and paleontologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

ArchaeologistPaleontologist
Average salary$50,314$90,653
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $75,000Between $63,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CityChelmsford, MA-
Highest paying stateRhode Island-
Best paying companyArcadis-
Best paying industry--

Differences between archaeologist and paleontologist education

There are a few differences between an archaeologist and a paleontologist in terms of educational background:

ArchaeologistPaleontologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorAnthropologyGeology
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Archaeologist vs paleontologist demographics

Here are the differences between archaeologists' and paleontologists' demographics:

ArchaeologistPaleontologist
Average age4145
Gender ratioMale, 52.9% Female, 47.1%Male, 80.6% Female, 19.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 0.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 5.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 86.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage11%4%

Differences between archaeologist and paleontologist duties and responsibilities

Archaeologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage field research, artifact database, data records, and federal and state require reports.
  • Manage contracts for curation of museum items, propose actions to repatriate NAGPRA materials and resolve curation problems.
  • Coordinate and authore NEPA and NHPA documents for federal projects.
  • Coordinate requirements of the NHPA and NEPA by serving as an NEPA interdisciplinary team member and providing expert technical advice.
  • Convert data files to GIS shape files and create maps for use in publications using ArcGIS 9.0 and ESRI digital maps.
  • Conduct and organize archaeological field surveys, excavations, testing, data recovery, and construction/ environmental monitoring.
  • Show more

Paleontologist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and/or lead short courses and seminars on eolian sedimentology, the characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs and reservoir management.
  • Assist in excavations of dinosaurs, Champsosaurus, early reptiles and prehistoric fish.
  • Record field data using Trimble GPS and iPads to collect survey and monitoring data.
  • Prepare proposals, supervise monitoring and sampling activities and prepare annual and quarterly reports in accordance with Ohio EPA requirements.
  • Improve correlation of offshore wells from Gabon to Angola, which contribute to exploration success in Angola.
  • Install and troubleshoot specialize equipment and software to monitor drilling activity.

Archaeologist vs paleontologist skills

Common archaeologist skills
  • Excavations, 27%
  • GPS, 12%
  • GIS, 7%
  • Technical Reports, 6%
  • Data Recovery, 5%
  • Background Research, 4%
Common paleontologist skills
  • Nepa, 77%
  • Natural History, 23%

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