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Job outlook for assistant professors of anthropology in the United States
Are assistant professor of anthropology jobs in demand?
Assistant professor of anthropology job and salary trends over time
Assistant professor of anthropology jobs over time
Assistant professor of anthropology job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 626 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 698 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 731 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 736 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 721 | 0.00% |
Average assistant professor of anthropology salary over time
Assistant professor of anthropology salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $79,473 | $38.21 | +3.5% |
| 2025 | $76,801 | $36.92 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $74,770 | $35.95 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $72,668 | $34.94 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | $72,463 | $34.84 | +4.8% |
Assistant professor of anthropology jobs by state
Most common states for assistant professors of anthropology
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 110 | 16% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 77 | 12% |
| 3 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 148 | 8% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 56 | 8% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 389 | 7% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 60 | 7% |
| 7 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,138 | 6% |
| 8 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 518 | 6% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 388 | 6% |
| 10 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 263 | 6% |
| 11 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 124 | 6% |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 647 | 5% |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 229 | 5% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 159 | 5% |
| 15 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 151 | 5% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 52 | 5% |
| 17 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 351 | 4% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 233 | 4% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 212 | 4% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 57 | 4% |
Most common cities for assistant professors of anthropology
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairbanks | 1 | 3% | $127,156 |
| 2 | Newark | 1 | 3% | $97,385 |
| 3 | Washington | 4 | 1% | $95,479 |
| 4 | Fort Collins | 1 | 1% | $69,715 |
| 5 | Portland | 1 | 1% | $95,065 |
| 6 | Anchorage | 1 | 0% | $132,599 |
| 7 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $99,335 |
Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of assistant professor of anthropology experts
University of Arizona
University of South Florida
Augustana College
University of Notre Dame
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
City College of New York
Augustana University
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Yale University
UNC Asheville
SUNY Potsdam
Megan Carney Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorUniversity of Arizona
School of Anthropology
What skills stand out on Assistant Professor Of Anthropology resumes?
Megan Carney Ph.D.: For those seeking a teaching position, it is really important to demonstrate previous teaching experience. At this point, it is highly preferred that job applicants have both in-person/classroom teaching experience as well as experience with online teaching, as so many departments are offering both options to students. Applicants should be specific on their resumes and CVs about the courses they taught, course evaluations, and even include some feedback from their former students. If one has taught online, they should list the platforms they're familiar with, such as Canvas and D2L. There is also a strong interest in applicants who have pursued further pedagogical training to augment their sensibilities as instructors that will help to improve accessibility for students. For instance, the Disability Cultural Center at the University of Arizona offers an Ableism 101 workshop and certificate.
What soft skills should all Assistant Professors Of Anthropology possess?
Megan Carney Ph.D.: Departments want to hire people who demonstrate a collaborative, team-oriented attitude, especially when it comes to addressing teaching, student advising and mentoring, and committee work within programs. There is also a strong desire to diversify the field and to reverse the trend of shrinking anthropology programs. Applicants should elaborate on their own commitments to strengthening diversity within anthropology and eliminating institutional and other barriers that have perpetuated exclusion.
What skills will help Assistant Professors Of Anthropology earn the most?
Megan Carney Ph.D.: Possessing higher degrees (Ph.D., MA) from anthropology and other fields (some applicants might have a master's in public health or a related field); previous teaching experience; a strong record of research and publication in peer-reviewed journals (for tenure-track positions).
What skills stand out on Assistant Professor Of Anthropology resumes?
Lee Braver: Colleges and universities fall into different categories which value different skills and accomplishments. The most obvious division is between schools that emphasize research and those that pride themselves on their teaching. Research institutions are looking for scholars who can publish a lot in exclusive journals and presses, thereby enhancing their reputation. They are looking for evidence of research skills: publications, awards, letters of recommendation that praise the candidate's writing and thinking. Teaching schools, on the other hand, are looking for excellent teachers. In the buyer's market we now have, they can require high research ability as well, but some will actually be scared off by too much research. They will worry that the candidate will focus on their research instead of their teaching and that they will seek to leave as soon as they can. These schools are typically looking for teaching experience, high student evaluations, and letters that single out these qualities for praise, whereas research schools typically don't care a lot about these sorts of things. Thus, the qualities one type of institution values, the other can be apathetic towards or even avoid. Teaching schools far outnumber research schools, so there are far more jobs in the former than in the latter.
What soft skills should all Assistant Professors Of Anthropology possess?
Lee Braver: Soft skills are most important to working once one has gotten a job rather than important to getting a job since those are quite difficult to discern from applications and brief interviews. That is one of the reasons schools can be wary of hiring with tenure; a person could look great on paper but be a nightmare to work with, and you're stuck with them.
I believe that tenacity, organizational skills and time management, and the ability to work long hours are crucial to getting tenure and succeeding in academia more broadly, in some ways more important than raw intelligence (if such a notion is coherent). Failure and rejection are endemic to the job; anyone who gets discouraged easily will do so. One must persevere in the face of sometimes harsh criticism and hostile conditions (especially now that much of the country has turned against higher education and the humanities in particular), and one must be able to juggle multiple responsibilities that make considerable time demands. In this, the tenure track resembles other early-career positions, such as medical residency or working towards partnership in a law firm. The untenured often must do the scut work that no one else wants to do, made more difficult by the fact that they are frantically trying to learn on the job with little to no guidance. It is not at all unusual for early-career professors to teach 4 classes per semester, at least some of which are new and/or large, do all the grading for them, serve on multiple committees, and write for elusive publications, all at once.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Lee Braver: Well, a Ph.D. is necessary, although one can sometimes be hired within striking distance of it. The ability to teach so as to bring students to the major and get high student evaluations are often requirements at teaching schools while writing well enough to publish, often in journals with single-digit acceptance rates, is crucial to research schools. Comfort with technology is becoming more and more important.
What skills will help Assistant Professors Of Anthropology earn the most?
Lee Braver: Let's see-an M.B.A., the ability to pick winning lottery numbers, being repelled by the humanities so that one goes into business-those would be pretty useful for making money. No one should go into academia for the money, not just not for wealth but even for a comfortable living, which is becoming more difficult to achieve in America in general. It is nearly impossible to make a living as an adjunct professor, which is where the profession is heading. There are many good-paying jobs, but those tend to congregate at the elite schools, the ones that emphasize research the most, and these are the fewest and hardest to get. Worse-paying jobs are also hard to come by, and the competition is just getting stiffer as more Ph.D.'s get dumped into the market each year which is itself accreting all those who did not land jobs in the previous years. At many institutions, raises are minimal since jobs are so hard to come by, and there's little else that rewards a humanities Ph.D. The only way to get a substantial raise is to get a credible offer from another institution and hope that yours wants to keep you enough to overbid them; otherwise, you're stuck, especially after getting tenure, and they know it. That's why tenure is called "golden handcuffs," though I think a better name might be something like velvet handcuffs, given gold's connotation of wealth.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia Ph.D.: I believe the coronavirus pandemic has pushed companies to design alternative ways for their employees to engage in their day-to-day operations. Hence I believe current graduates might be well positioned to take advantage of these shifts once the pandemic is under control.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia Ph.D.: From the social science perspective, students should seek out training and certifications in the following fields: qualitative and quantitative data analysis (e.g. NVivo, MAXQDA, and EXCEL); data visualization software (MS PowerBI, Tableau); UX Design Research bootcamps.
What will help Assistant Professors Of Anthropology increase their earning potential?
Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia Ph.D.: The more skills and certification students can get, the better positioned they will be to negotiate higher wages based on the contributions they can offer to a given organization, company or institution. Students should volunteer for research projects where they can be exposed to and learn more about research techniques and data analysis approaches.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Eric Haanstad Ph.D.: As with everything in the coronavirus era, the enduring impact is uncertain. However, new career opportunities continue to emerge from ongoing restrictions as remote learning, online connections, and new forms of digital research continue to become more pervasive.
What's a good job out of college for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Eric Haanstad Ph.D.: Anthropology graduates have so many unique career outcomes, including international institutions, government and non-governmental organizations, corporate and non-profit positions, consultancies and independent contracting, and many places to do anthropology in the workplace. One of the most exciting things about anthropology is it's flexibility, variability, and global impact!
What will help Assistant Professors Of Anthropology increase their earning potential?
Eric Haanstad Ph.D.: While many graduates begin exciting career paths immediately after graduation, others pursue advanced degrees and speciality training. Some maximize earnings in corporate sectors and business anthropology while others seek international positions for cultural interest and financial leverage. Design anthropology, for example, is one of the most exciting and lucrative fields to emerge recently as opportunities to build careers in user experience, design thinking, and future making proliferate in private and public sectors from tech companies to humanitarian organizations.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Amanda Poole: Anthropology is of increasing relevance in our globalizing world. The unique tools and perspectives of anthropology include thinking holistically, critically, and cross-culturally about complex issues, appreciating and translating across different experiences and perspectives, and conducting research that helps to provide depth of understanding. Applied anthropologist Cathleen Crain explains, "Adding an anthropologist to a research team is like moving from black-and-white TV to color. We're able to observe shades of color that others can't see. Anthropologists understand complexity and can help devise answers that reflect that complexity."
Anthropologists work in four main sectors where they apply a knowledge and skill set related to culture, diversity, and the social impacts of program and policies: academia, government, corporate and business careers, and non-profit or community-based careers. Archaeological anthropologists often work in the field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM). CRM tracks to the building and development industries which are rebounding from COVID, meaning the demand for archaeology is also picking up.
Anthropological skill sets lend themselves to work in a broad variety of professions, including disaster planning and response, development, product development, and humanitarian aid. The global economy demands people with a knowledge of multi-cultural issues and with the skill set to understand and work sensitively and respectfully with people from a variety of backgrounds. As we engage in Covid-19 recovery across varied communities and tackle complex social and environmental challenges facing us at local, national, and global scales, there is a clear growing need for anthropologically trained professionals.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Dr. Amanda Poole: Anthropologists with a BA can find jobs that use their skill sets, but an MA or PhD opens up more job opportunities. Becoming a Registered Archaeologist (
How have salaries changed over time for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Dr. Amanda Poole: Salaries have consistently gone up in archaeology and anthropology at rates that exceed cost of living increases. A student with a BA in archaeology and a field school can make on average $18/hr. With more experience they can make an average of $22/hr. For professionals holding BA or MA credentials in anthropology more broadly, the median pay in 2019 was $63,670 per year. Salaries increase with credentials.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Stanley Thangaraj: There will be such an increase in jobs related to public health and medicine. In this sense, I see a great number of students engaging with a Masters in Public Health and looking to work at great places like the CDC. Plus, our undergraduate Anthropology conference this year focuses specifically on the pandemic and larger issues of racism. Thus, with regard to Anthropology, I think there will also be a great interest in Medical Anthropology as well. In the job market, I also think PhD in Medical Anthropology will be sought out, like the great Dr. Marcia Inhorn, to provide important information on the larger relation of the pandemic to our worlds in the most holistic way.
We must also account for the importance of Black Lives Matter and its impact in the educational sphere. There is a demand now to now US history in much more holistic ways that accounts for colonialism, imperialism, slavery, indigenous dispossession, and racism. Thus, there will be an increase in jobs teaching this important history and its relevance to the current period.
What soft skills should all Assistant Professors Of Anthropology possess?
Dr. Stanley Thangaraj: I think there is ever more the need for students to possess the ability to interview people, maintain great lines of communication, and have strong writing skills to advocate for medical and health equity. It is important now more than ever to be a strong writer in order to apply for grants to deal with this public health issues. Plus, with the ways the pandemic is specifically impacting elders and communities of color, having the skills to ethnographically and geographically chart these instances is very important to save our communities.
What's a day at work look like for an Assistant Professor Of Anthropology?
Dr. Stanley Thangaraj: With how students are managing brilliantly with remote learning, I think students are gaining really important new skills with technology that will allow them to create and cultivate communities virtually. This will prove useful in managing meeting virtually and providing services that way as well. I think there will be greater moments of virtual interface and recent graduates must make sure that as they become proficient with the digital, that they also are ready to manage face-to-face interactions in the next year.
What's a good job out of college for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Jason Kruse: I work in the Cultural Resource Management (CRM - archeology) field of anthropology. This is where most college graduates will end up working once they complete their degree. This is a field with slow but steady job growth in comparison to most other professions. I believe projected job growth is only expected to be between 5-10% over a decade. Most of the CRM positions start out as seasonal with a small percentage moving into a permanent job. The jobs that are created are directly linked to infrastructure growth and maintenance, whether it is replacing a section of natural gas pipeline, new mining proposals, highway expansion, etc.. The other factor for job placement is the occasional research contract, which typically has a few permanent full time employees with seasonal help. The job market for graduates has a steady growth and there are numerous jobs for those that are willing to travel extensively from job to job until they find the place that has/needs additional full time employees. The important part is to be willing to travel form job to job, work for various entities, and network with the people they are working with. So, there hasn't been any major shift in the CRM field as far as employment.
Moving forward, there will be new job markets opening up in artificial intelligence as the science behind AI develops and cultural diversity becomes more important to place that technology in a diverse human landscape. Many museum jobs are slightly contracted due to closures and reduced revenue, but those jobs will be opening back up as we push past the pandemic. Jobs in anthropology related to the medical field will likely be steady as we move forward to understand the effects of the pandemic. There will likely be some new jobs created in studying the cultural effects of the pandemic across the demographics of different communities.
I think we are going to see more entry-level jobs opening than we will with senior level, due to the fact that many places have lost an extensive amount of revenue. Many people have taken on multi role job assignments at the senior level as mid level employees have been let go.
Dr. Rhonda Dass Ph.D.
Director - American Indigenous Studies/Museum Studies, Chair/Professor - Anthropology DepartmentMinnesota State University, Mankato
Anthropology Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Rhonda Dass Ph.D.: I think that the pandemic has created a situation where everything we thought we understood will need to be reevaluated. It will require skilled researchers who have insight into human behavior. There will be openings for those who understand human behavior, culture, and how humans react to disease and illness.
What technical skills for an Assistant Professor Of Anthropology stand out to employers?
Dr. Rhonda Dass Ph.D.: Employers need people who can analyze data, create practical solutions to everyday problems, and apply their skills to situations.
What's a good job out of college for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology?
Dr. Rhonda Dass Ph.D.: A good job for an anthropologist is not one with that name attached but could be in any area where people and their actions need to be understood. We see many of our students working in service oriented professions such as health care research, museums, governmental organizations, and businesses.
Erin Vogel Ph.D.
Henry Rutgers Term Chair Professor, Associate ProfessorRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Department of Anthropology and Center for Human Evolutionary Studies
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job market given the pandemic?
Erin Vogel Ph.D.: Unfortunately, the job market this year is not great. A lot of universities have hiring freezes right now. However, I am hoping we will see an increase in job openings in Fall 2021.
What Assistant Professor Of Anthropology skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Erin Vogel Ph.D.: It really depends on their field of study. The recommendation could be very different for cultural and biological anthropology students. For both, developing a brief research proposal would be very beneficial and even submitting an NSF GRFP application. In addition, researching the departments that fit well with your interests, reaching out to faculty in the departments you are interested in, and also working on literature searches in your area of interest. For students who want to do fieldwork, getting experience is always a positive. Thus, working on a research project, working in a lab, going to a remote field site, taking a field course, all could be very beneficial during a gap year. That said, I also encourage students who have just finished their undergrad degrees to enjoy life, go live somewhere you have always wanted to live, explore, because once you start a Ph.D. program you will have little free time.
What general advice would you give to an Assistant Professor Of Anthropology?
Erin Vogel Ph.D.: Do not hesitate to reach out to faculty who you want to work with or want on your committee. Make sure you meet with your advisor weekly to discuss projects. Make schedules and lists to stay organized with your work. Time management is so important in graduate school and after grad school. And importantly, make sure you take time for you - outside of your academic work.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job market given the pandemic?
Roderick McIntosh Ph.D.: In principal, the academic job market was strengthening, somewhat, before the pandemic, and then many universities imposed a total hiring freeze. Once the pandemic is over, however, I anticipate a return to the improvement.
What skills stand out on Assistant Professor Of Anthropology resumes?
Roderick McIntosh Ph.D.: There is no substitute for as much field experience as possible, and at least one analytical laboratory skill is critical. I do not see many pure archaeometry positions opening up (as opposed to the traditional region-focus anthropological archaeology trend), but science-based archaeology is on the rise.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology to find work opportunities?
Roderick McIntosh Ph.D.: Whatever the situation with academic positions, I anticipate a continuing strong market in contract and salvage archaeology. This should be the case particularly if Congress gets its act together on infrastructure projects. Contract archaeology takes place throughout the country.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Assistant Professor Of Anthropology job market given the pandemic?
John Wood Ph.D.: I suspect the obvious answer here is that it will be competitive. I also suspect that employers will be looking for versatility, flexibility, and the ability to adjust to new and emerging circumstances. I would hope that for graduates of anthropology programs, the skills of ethnographic fieldwork would be more marketable than ever. Finding out what various others in various contexts are doing, thinking, feeling, and believing and then writing it up in a report that is accessible to others is going to be an increasingly useful skill set. It is a skill set for which cultural anthropologists and ethnographers are trained.
What Assistant Professor Of Anthropology skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
John Wood Ph.D.: Gain field experience with others, under varying conditions. Keep careful notes, journals, and periodic reports on experiences. Make these daily habits. Ideally volunteer or work in a location unfamiliar to you. Practice getting outside your box.
What general advice would you give to an Assistant Professor Of Anthropology?
John Wood Ph.D.: A graduate in anthropology ought to develop an elevator pitch for why the skills of anthropology are useful in contexts where they want to work. Most employers need staff who are good at finding out what particular groups of other people do, think, believe, and feel and also staff who are good at writing up and reporting what they learn. That's not necessarily training that students get in business or other professional schools, but it is and will always be useful. I suspect students with those skills (among others) who can communicate not only that they have those skills but also can remind employers that they need them will have an easier time finding work than those who haven't developed such a pitch.
What experience really stands out on Assistant Professor Of Anthropology resumes?
Kathryn Grow Allen: Participation in diversity and inclusion projects, organizations, and initiatives. There are a lot of these types of initiatives on college campuses right now and anthropology departments are often heavily involved in them. As the discipline aimed at understanding humans, many anthropology students are not only taught extensively about human diversity, they are also involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives. College students who are an active part of these types of experiences in school will be able to contribute knowledge and action to similar initiatives in their future company or industry.
Science communication and public engagement. For students interested in going on to graduate school in anthropology, there is a new focus on communicating the value of anthropological or scientific research to the public. These communication experiences can be with a school newspaper, social media engagement, writing articles or blog posts, YouTube channels dedicated to science education, public workshops at a local museum, school visits, or projects with community participation. Getting involved in science communication and public engagement will be heavily valued, least not because funding agency that provide the money to do scientific and anthropological research demand a comprehensible broader impacts statement. While this was a value before, I think its importance increased ten-fold in the last year and will redefine the skills deemed important in future researchers and anthropologists. The ability to articulate information, not just to others in your field but to the public in general, will be a standout experience for both graduate school and job applications.
Leadership roles: While these always stood out before, holding a leadership role in this past year of constant change looks even more impressive. Leading any student organization, research project, or work team through the pandemic will indicate experience with adaptation, innovation and resilience, skills needed in most industries and in graduate school.
What Assistant Professor Of Anthropology skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kathryn Grow Allen: For students who want to go to graduate school, taking a gap year is not necessarily a bad thing (I took two)! That year can be a time to reflect and make sure you want to go to graduate school (rather than just enrolling because you're not sure what to do next). It also gives you time to ensure you've found the right graduate program for you. During a gap year (or years), build skills that will make you more successful in graduate school. These can be simple, such as solidifying time management techniques that work for your personality type so you can successfully juggle difficult course work, involvement in research, teaching, article and grant writing...the many different areas you need to be involved in during graduate school. Likewise, networking should be a high priority during a gap year and is truly a skill that gets easier the more you do it. Reaching out to people who are in your desired career field can be intimidating but a coffee with a senior member of the field can lead to a mentoring relationship or, at least, great insight into opportunities and practical advice from lived experience. Anthropology is a close community, connecting and building collaboration skills is incredibly important. This is true for students combining anthropology with another field (business, medicine, conservation) as well. Some other skills worth developing including ANY communication skills (writing, verbal, public speaking) and creating online content. Students should build a professional webpage or train in creating video and interactive medias. These technical skills will be extremely helpful in marketing oneself and one's work outputs.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Assistant Professors Of Anthropology in the next 3-5 years?
Kathryn Grow Allen: For students going on to graduate school in anthropology, this will depend on the type of anthropology. Advancement in ancient and modern DNA technology will continue to grow in importance for biological anthropologists, technology that tracks environmental changes at endangered ancient sites will become vital for archaeologists, digital recording and communication technology will be imperative for cultural and linguistic anthropology initiatives. It is important to stay informed (and innovative!) with emerging technology that can be applied to your specific area of anthropology. More broadly speaking, however, all anthropology majors should train in digital content creation. This might mean becoming familiar with video software, basic website development tools, the ins and outs of getting ideas to spread (for example, familiarity with SEO and how to get your work consumed by a lot of people). It is more important than ever that anthropologists share widely how important understanding humanity is to just about any industry you can name. The idea that culture, human identity, and human history underlines everything going on in the world today cannot be overstated. Anthropologists, both those who earn masters and PhDs in the field and those who enter the work force with a bachelors, should be a part of communicating anthropology and its value when applied widely.