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Job outlook for internet researchers in the United States
Are internet researcher jobs in demand?
Internet researcher job and salary trends over time
Internet researcher jobs over time
Internet researcher job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 357 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 338 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 333 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 313 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 292 | 0.00% |
Average internet researcher salary over time
Internet researcher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $24,970 | $12.01 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $24,204 | $11.64 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $23,950 | $11.51 | --0.2% |
| 2022 | $23,992 | $11.53 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $23,737 | $11.41 | +0.7% |
Internet researcher jobs by state
Most common states for internet researchers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 121 | 17% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 532 | 7% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 404 | 6% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 234 | 6% |
| 5 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 110 | 4% |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 38 | 4% |
| 7 | Vermont | 623,657 | 28 | 4% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,255 | 3% |
| 9 | New York | 19,849,399 | 509 | 3% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 233 | 3% |
| 11 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 46 | 3% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 39 | 3% |
| 13 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 31 | 3% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 27 | 3% |
| 15 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 23 | 3% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 20 | 3% |
| 17 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 203 | 2% |
| 18 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 131 | 2% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 130 | 2% |
| 20 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 52 | 2% |
Internet Researcher job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of internet researcher experts
Ohio State University
Vanderbilt University
Duquesne University
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of St Andrews
DePauw University
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Christian Brothers University
Penn State Altoona
West Virginia State University
Mercyhurst University
Western Illinois University
University of Maryland
Chestnut Hill College
Dr. Judson Jeffries
ProfessorOhio State University
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, And Group Studies
What general advice would you give to an Internet Researcher?
Dr. Judson Jeffries: Introduce yourself to some of the more noteworthy people in the field at conferences. Establish a relationship with those folks. I am not saying that your circle should include only the most celebrated academics in your field, but you want to get to know maybe 3 to 4 such persons for the following reasons: 1) to position oneself to get sage, counsel and advice from seasoned academics 2) to learn about various opportunities that may not be publicly advertised and 3) at some point the person 's department will need people to evaluate that person for tenure and promotion. Some departments will ask the junior professor for a list of names. At that point the junior professor will be equipped to provide that list. Finally, go into those fields understanding that you have a responsibility to advocate on behalf of those historically marginalized groups that you're studying. What's more, that person needs to understand that what comes with that is doing research that addresses some of the challenges those groups face.
Phillis Sheppard Ph.D.
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture and Womanist ThoughtVanderbilt University
Theological And Ministerial Studies
What general advice would you give to an Internet Researcher?
Phillis Sheppard Ph.D.: I tell recent graduates to read the contract and the faculty manual. Make sure you understand the long term implications of your early salary. Second, plan for retirement now; do not wait until you are making the salary of your fantasies. Take advantage of opportunities to learn about financial health and management. Third, position yourself. Write and publish directly and clearly in your field of study and adjacent areas. Fourth, create a plan with vision for the career you think you want. Finally, one way or the other, you will carve out a career or job, but a vocation is nurtured by paying attention to where you experience passion and a deep sense of belonging. A vocation is where your heart and intellect find a meaningful place in responding to the world's needs. Your salary best positions you when it supports your whole life and commitments.
Jan Levine
Professor of Law and Director, Legal Research & Writing ProgramDuquesne University
School of Law
What hard/technical skills are most important for Internet Researchers?
Jan Levine: Understanding how to plan a research effort, knowing how to update research, so it is timely, finding materials online and in print (which is often ignored or downplayed), demonstrating a critical examination of sources (i.e., reading them closely and coming up with an independent professional assessment of the reliability and validity of the materials), and knowing to find and use non-legal sources of information to apply to a legal problem (including talking with experts, going beyond online and print research). Plus, good researchers know how to use librarians and secondary sources of the law to expand the scope of their work and to be more efficient in their research (both in time and cost). Finally, the ability to organize material is crucial to a well-conducted search for material.
What skills will help Internet Researchers earn the most?
Jan Levine: Efficiency in research, clarity in explanation of the use of researched materials, and having a conscious plan of how to conduct research.
Mario Jimenez Chacon
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Humanities Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Internet Researchers?
Mario Jimenez Chacon: Of course, a researcher needs to have the ability to perform high-level, intense research; therefore, a qualified researcher needs to have the hard skills associated with their field, for example, the appropriate certification/ degrees or the ability to use technology effectively. Moreover, nowadays, a researcher needs to dominate more than one language; being multilingual is a skill that makes the candidate really stand out.
What skills will help Internet Researchers earn the most?
Mario Jimenez Chacon: The skills that will make you earn the most depend very much on their field of research. However, doing the best research possible all the time, having great interpersonal skills, and understanding that one must never stop learning will make you an outstanding candidate in any field.
Dr. Sharon Locke Ph.D.
Director, Center for STEM Research, Education, and Outreach, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, ISSP Sustainability Excellence AssociateSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
Department of Environmental Sciences
What soft skills should all Internet Researchers possess?
Dr. Sharon Locke Ph.D.: -Strong written and oral communication are most important. If you cannot write well, you cannot be a successful scientist. Period.
-Evidence of skills in working as part of a team of diverse people and ability to understand the culture and language across scientific/technical disciplines--for example, an environmental chemist who understands something about policy or an environmental health specialist that would be able to collect and interpret data collected from community members.
-Willingness to be a lifelong learner.
-Something that helps an applicant stand out, such as experience with project management software or a foreign language.
Dr. Jeffrey Hughes
Deputy DirectorUniversity of St Andrews
Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies
What soft skills should all Internet Researchers possess?
Dr. Jeffrey Hughes: The ability to communicate to academics and practitioners from out-with immediate disciplinary boundaries. The ability to listen to differing perspectives and work to understand differing perspectives through bridging knowledge gaps.
What general advice would you give to an Internet Researcher?
Pedar Foss Ph.D.: The advice to students who are graduating is that college prepares them not just for their first job but for a lifetime of adapting to the changing labor landscape. What matters is not what one is doing at age 25, but at age 40. Flexibility, adaptability, and nimbleness, combined with an open mind and exposure to multiple points of view and numerous disciplinary approaches to problems, will ensure that a student can surf their career and not get swamped by a wave of change that overcomes someone who has learned/done only one thing and is therefore stuck in that job.
Derek Catsam
Professor of History and Kathlyn Cosper Dunagan Professor in the HumanitiesUniversity of Texas of the Permian Basin
History Department
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Derek Catsam: So my discipline is History, which means students take a whole wide range of jobs that may or may not be in "History" per se, but that utilize the skills we try to impart-critical thinking, analytical ability, the ability to read closely and to write effectively, the ability to communicate verbally, and so forth-and so how technology impacts that field will be wildly variable. My guess is that remote meeting apps/websites like Zoom and Teams will become a greater part of our lives, and there may well be more fluidity for people with regard to being able to work remotely (which also may be especially valuable for folks who have long sought ADA accommodations to work remotely full- or part-time). Meanwhile, even before COVID, technology was constantly evolving, and alongside that evolution, our use of and need for and adaptability to technology.
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.
Chair, Associate ProfessorChristian Brothers University
Department of History and Political Science
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.: History, like all fields, will surely move to more virtual forms of communication and internet-based work. I think history majors and professors will continue to become more creative and skilled in their use of technology to communicate, teach, and research. I expect professional historians will increasingly use virtual platforms to share their research and communicate with the general public. I expect history majors to enter the workforce with increased comfort, confidence, and knowledge regarding technology.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Internet Researchers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.: The answer to that question likely won't change from pre- to post-pandemic. Southern cities such as Nashville and Memphis were booming before the pandemic, and that will likely continue. These are good places to find jobs because the cost of living is relatively low, there are vibrant culture and entertainment, and there is not as much college-educated competition for jobs as in larger cities.
What Internet Researcher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.: The answer to that question likely won't change from pre- to post-pandemic. Southern cities such as Nashville and Memphis were booming before the pandemic, and that will likely continue. These are good places to find jobs because the cost of living is relatively low, there are vibrant culture and entertainment, and there is not as much college-educated competition for jobs as in larger cities.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Internet Researchers?
Doug Page Ph.D.: That is difficult to say. What I imagine might be a short-term shifting of in-demand fields, so that our current technology needs might be better addressed. This would include further development and support of software that enables us to meet virtually. That said, History graduates, like others who study within the Humanities, are well-situated to engage in a broad range of areas, given the breadth of their education.
While History is topic-specific, it offers training and practice in those skills that are desired, and allows one to move in the worlds of business, industry, education, law, museums, and others. And, luckily for History graduates, much of the work in all of those fields can be done virtually. Indeed, some exciting and innovative things have been done by museums, especially that makes it possible for more people than ever to "visit" these museums; this could be a big new avenue for History graduates.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Internet Researchers to find work opportunities?
Doug Page Ph.D.: As I indicated, there is a broad range of occupations that a History graduate can pursue. These opportunities tend to present themselves more apparently in metro areas, where the skill sets of graduates can be best used. However, if some of the fields, in which History majors flourish, retain some virtual presence, that pushes into bigger cities could lessen.
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Doug Page Ph.D.: Our technology is changing and becoming more sophisticated at such a rapid pace; it is challenging to imagine what it will bring to the field of History. I can imagine improvements in the delivery of historical materials in places like the classroom, but also in museums, archives, and libraries. Archival preservation and retrieval are bound to improve, benefitting the public world of libraries and museums, but also corporate and governmental offices as well. If we are extremely lucky, such growing access could create a more informed citizenry, dedicated to using all that History can teach us about ourselves and how to best work together for progress.
Dr. Michael Workman
Associate ProfessorWest Virginia State University
Department of History & Political Science
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Internet Researchers?
Dr. Michael Workman: I'm afraid that the Covid-19 pandemic already has affected our History graduates here at WVSU in a big way. Some have delayed plans for grad school; others are hunkering-down and delaying job searches. Those who have taken teaching positions face hurdles reaching students remotely. And those who are engaged in research and writing find themselves unable to travel to perform research at various archives. But I seriously doubt that these impacts will be enduring. This storm cloud may have a silver lining of sorts because many have further developed their computer skills and learned how to access information remotely.
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Benjamin Scharff Ph.D.: Technology evolves so quickly that it is difficult to imagine exactly how it will impact the field. However, the general trend has been an increasing emphasis on digital humanities. Graduates will therefore be more digitally literate than in the past.
Dr. Timothy Roberts
Professor and Director of Graduate StudiesWestern Illinois University
Department of History
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Internet Researchers?
Dr. Timothy Roberts: The coronavirus, of course, has affected education profoundly by accelerating, at least at the moment, the trend away from face-to-face learning and toward distance learning. That transition will hurt students' learning experience, in my opinion, although, besides allowing classes to occur with safe social distancing, distance learning allows nearly anyone with a computer and internet service to take (or, though it's a different kind of hazard, offer) courses.
I think it's easy to imagine that high school and college students who navigate education substantially through online courses will become more independent or self-reliant and tech-savvy. Those are the benefits. The risks are that they may not have the chance to interact with and learn from other students in the class, and not ever experience or be rewarded for learning in any formal setting - a campus, a library, a classroom, a professor's office, a graduation ceremony.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Internet Researchers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Timothy Roberts: Job-rich areas in history traditionally have been in cities, like other jobs. But again, as distance learning and jobs-from-home become more common, cities may not be as attractive. Some American cities are already seeing a "brain drain." In the last few decades, high school teaching jobs have ebbed and flowed; currently, there is a shortage of qualified teachers, not only in STEM but also in history, in some parts of the country, believe it or not. Reforms are being discussed in some states that that raise high school teachers' salaries, which will create opportunities for qualified new graduates.
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Timothy Roberts: Probably more than in teaching, in the last few years, public history jobs - archivists, curators, librarians, website developers, social media bloggers, documentary filmmakers, digital collections, and historic site managers - have become more numerous. Liberal arts graduates with some digital and/or social media skills, as well as strong writing ability for diverse audiences, should be situated well for jobs.
Crystal Sehlke
Program Director,University of Maryland
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Internet Researchers to find work opportunities?
Crystal Sehlke: Some sectors are growing: E-commerce, online services, almost anything related to the delivery of goods. Technology skills will remain in demand, and there is an expanding need for data analytics and people who can extract key messages from masses of data. Another area of rapid expansion is human-focused services that can be delivered remotely, such as telehealth and tele-counseling. The popularity of "remote work" in the job and internship market has exploded out of necessity, and some of our current students have benefited from it by applying for remote internships at jobs and organizations that might have posed a geographic challenge prior to COVID-19.
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Crystal Sehlke: As we've found with our own immediate conversion to remote operations, some of the programs, resources, and services that were previously provided in person have had to evolve into different mediums quickly. Post-pandemic, many of these new resources-e.g., self-help online modules, automated training, AI-driven chatbots-will permanently complement in-person resources, which will become more specialized. Professionals in fields that provide information, consultation, or other in-person services will need to become fluent using these technology-based tools.
How do you envision technology impacting Internet Researchers in the next 5 years?
Lorraine Coons Ph.D.: Technology has already impacted the field as it has in most academic areas of study. Students interested in careers in archives, museums, and historical societies need to be conversant with computer software specifically related to their work. Teachers, as this pandemic is showing, need to be brought up to speed with online instruction.