1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
What is a Historian?
If you love spending the day with your nose in books or go into raptures when you visit historical sites, the career of a his/her torian might be for you. As a his/her torian, you would spend your days researching and interpreting the past. You could study many different fields, from military history to the history of cartoons.
You could also work in a variety of places. Most people know that his/her torians can go on to teach history, but did you know that you could also work as a his/her torian for the government or for a corporation? Some businesses hire his/her torians to research and record the history of the company or find a historical basis for legal matters. You could also do hands-on work at a museum or historical site.
Becoming a his/her torian is not as easy as checking out all the books on your favorite historical topic from the library. You would probably need to get a bachelor's degree, and if your goal is to become a university professor, you would need a master's or Ph.D. But the chances are that the idea of studying history for years sounds like a dream come true.
What Does a Historian Do
Historians research, analyze, interpret, and present the past by studying historical documents and sources.
How To Become a Historian
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.
Historian Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of chairperson you might progress to a role such as director eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title development director.
Historian
Development Director
9 Years
Board Of Directors Member
8 Years
Communications Director
6 Years
Owner And Founder
6 Years
Chairperson, Board Of Directors
6 Years
Advisory Board Member
5 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Historian
Historians in America make an average salary of $57,376 per year or $28 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $125,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Historian Salary
$57,376 Yearly$27.58 hourly
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Historian Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active historian jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where historians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Historian Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 21 | $67,411 |
| 2 | New York | 6 | $73,474 |
| 3 | Washington | 3 | $68,137 |
| 4 | Maryland | 3 | $64,632 |
| 5 | Alaska | 2 | $82,429 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 2 | $78,307 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 2 | $75,620 |
| 8 | Oregon | 2 | $71,934 |
| 9 | Arizona | 2 | $61,435 |
| 10 | Virginia | 2 | $58,497 |
| 11 | Louisiana | 2 | $51,452 |
| 12 | Texas | 2 | $53,084 |
| 13 | Florida | 2 | $48,104 |
| 14 | Georgia | 2 | $48,193 |
| 15 | Idaho | 1 | $61,676 |
| 16 | Hawaii | 1 | $57,691 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 1 | $51,191 |
| 18 | Colorado | 1 | $52,930 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 1 | $51,135 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | 0 | $78,231 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | 0 | $77,607 |
| 22 | Vermont | 0 | $75,606 |
| 23 | Maine | 0 | $75,128 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | 0 | $69,461 |
| 25 | New Jersey | 0 | $72,444 |
| 26 | Nevada | 0 | $67,187 |
| 27 | Michigan | 0 | $65,353 |
| 28 | Delaware | 0 | $67,930 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 0 | $62,248 |
| 30 | North Dakota | 0 | $61,764 |
| 31 | Ohio | 0 | $59,805 |
| 32 | Minnesota | 0 | $61,742 |
| 33 | Utah | 0 | $59,133 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 0 | $57,561 |
| 35 | New Mexico | 0 | $58,042 |
| 36 | Indiana | 0 | $54,923 |
| 37 | Illinois | 0 | $57,189 |
| 38 | Montana | 0 | $55,149 |
| 39 | Wyoming | 0 | $52,985 |
| 40 | Iowa | 0 | $52,057 |
| 41 | South Dakota | 0 | $51,669 |
| 42 | Mississippi | 0 | $49,992 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 0 | $50,009 |
| 44 | Tennessee | 0 | $48,927 |
| 45 | Arkansas | 0 | $48,996 |
| 46 | Kansas | 0 | $48,832 |
| 47 | Nebraska | 0 | $48,869 |
| 48 | Missouri | 0 | $48,656 |
| 49 | Alabama | 0 | $48,802 |
| 50 | South Carolina | 0 | $48,526 |
Top Colleges for Historians
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
7. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
Top Skills For a Historian
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.9% of historians listed cultural resources on their resume, but soft skills such as foreign language skills and research skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Historian Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Historian templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Historian resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Historian diversity
Historian Gender Distribution
Female
59%
Male
41%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among historians, 59.3% of them are women, while 40.7% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among historians is White, which makes up 64.0% of all historians.
- The most common foreign language among historians is Spanish at 43.1%.
Online Courses For Historian That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure
1. Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction
A unique and exciting introduction to the genre and craft of historical fiction, for curious students, aspiring authors--anyone with a passion for the past. Read classics of the genre, encounter bestselling writers of historical fiction, and discover your own historical archive while interacting with a global community of interested readers...
2. Film, Images & Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The Camera Never Lies
This course is a short taster on the topic of the use of Images, Film, and their use in historical interpretation in the 20th century. It is primarily provided for those who have a general interest in history that draws on photojournalism as primary evidence, and films based on historical events. Once you have completed this course we hope you will be equipped to: Appreciate the significance of photographs as historical evidence in the twentieth century. Understand the limitations of the...
3. Basic Governance for Board Members
Know your rights, duties & stay out of trouble...
Job type you want
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Part Time
Internship
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Best States For a Historian
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a historian. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Historians make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $82,429. Whereas in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, they would average $78,307 and $78,231, respectively. While historians would only make an average of $77,607 in Rhode Island, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
Total Historian Jobs: 2
Highest 10% Earn:
$161,000
Location Quotient:
11.8
$82,429
Avg. Salary
2. New Hampshire
Total Historian Jobs: 0
Highest 10% Earn:
$160,000
Location Quotient:
0
$78,231
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
Total Historian Jobs: 2
Highest 10% Earn:
$159,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
$78,307
Avg. Salary
How Do Historians Rate Their Jobs?
Top Historian Employers
Most Common Employers For Historian
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phi Theta Kappa | $71,738 | $34.49 | 6 |
| 2 | Alpha Lambda Delta | $68,044 | $32.71 | 6 |
| 3 | Oregon State University | $67,973 | $32.68 | 5 |
| 4 | Tetra Tech | $62,752 | $30.17 | 14 |
| 5 | Society of Women Engineers | $62,160 | $29.88 | 6 |
| 6 | Sigma Chi Fraternity | $60,754 | $29.21 | 12 |
| 7 | Kappa Kappa Psi | $58,406 | $28.08 | 8 |
| 8 | Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity | $57,559 | $27.67 | 7 |
| 9 | Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity | $56,146 | $26.99 | 24 |
| 10 | Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity | $55,368 | $26.62 | 15 |
Becoming a Historian FAQs
What Is The Role Of A Historian?
The primary role of a historian is to inform others by telling a story. The historian must be the narrator of the story they want to tell. Whether relating information to a corporate executive, writing a book, or teaching, historians must present their information in an organized manner.
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.