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Archaeological field technician salary

Average archaeological field technician salary

$41,352

$19.88 hourly rate

Entry-level archaeological field technician salary
$33,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Role of an Archaeological Field Technician

An Archaeological Field Technician plays a vital role in excavating, documenting, and analyzing historical sites. Typically, these professionals earn an average salary of $41,352 per year, or about $20 per hour. Salaries vary significantly based on experience, specialization, and geographical location.

Salary Variations by State

For those considering a career, certain states offer higher salaries due to demand and funding for archaeological projects. For instance, states with significant historical sites or higher budgets for preservation often pay more.

Factors Influencing Salary

  • Years of experience
  • Type of employer (private vs. public sector)
  • Location and cost of living

As you explore available positions, consider these factors to negotiate your salary effectively. Through platforms like Zippia, job seekers can access a range of opportunities and salary insights tailored to the archaeological field.

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Where can an Archaeological Field Technician earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
65k
45k
25k
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Columbus, OH$53,735
Atlanta, GA$35,373
Compare salary by company
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46k
26k
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ERM$43,476
NOVAworks$36,088

Archaeological field technician salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com and Glassdoor, the average salary for an archaeological field technician typically falls between $41,352 and $54,842.
zippia
$41,352yearly
glassdoor[1]
$50,788yearly
Salary.com[2]
$54,842yearly

Average archaeological field technician salary by state

The highest-paying states for archaeological field technicians are Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The lowest average archaeological field technician salary states are Indiana, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for archaeological field technicians

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Vermont$54,124$26.02
2Connecticut$52,754$25.36
3North Dakota$48,105$23.13
4Alaska$51,570$24.79
5New Hampshire$50,062$24.07
6Wyoming$46,167$22.20
7Maine$46,748$22.48
8Massachusetts$53,735$25.83
9Minnesota$48,642$23.39
10Oregon$47,891$23.02
11Nevada$45,281$21.77
12Texas$46,276$22.25
13Delaware$46,038$22.13
14Rhode Island$49,477$23.79
15Wisconsin$43,919$21.11
16Virginia$46,100$22.16
17Montana$41,697$20.05
18New Jersey$46,309$22.26
19California$45,944$22.09
20Iowa$40,615$19.53
21Washington$46,025$22.13
22Idaho$41,795$20.09
23Arkansas$41,090$19.75
24Hawaii$42,144$20.26
25Michigan$43,448$20.89
26Mississippi$40,460$19.45
27Utah$39,230$18.86
28Missouri$40,391$19.42
29North Carolina$39,537$19.01
30Pennsylvania$40,887$19.66
31New York$41,929$20.16
32West Virginia$38,384$18.45
33Illinois$41,639$20.02
34District of Columbia$44,897$21.59
35Arizona$38,365$18.44
36South Dakota$40,353$19.40
37Maryland$42,633$20.50
38Colorado$37,863$18.20
39Ohio$39,417$18.95
40Alabama$38,754$18.63
41Louisiana$39,498$18.99
42New Mexico$38,264$18.40
43South Carolina$38,477$18.50
44Florida$35,377$17.01
45Georgia$35,381$17.01
46Oklahoma$35,384$17.01
47Kansas$37,453$18.01
48Kentucky$36,844$17.71
49Indiana$35,906$17.26
50Nebraska$35,774$17.20
51Tennessee$33,512$16.11
Top archaeological field technician jobs near you

Highest paying cities for archaeological field technicians

The highest-paying cities for archaeological field technicians are Boston, MA, Minneapolis, MN, and Portland, OR.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Boston, MA$53,735$25.83
2Minneapolis, MN$48,621$23.38
3Portland, OR$48,046$23.10
4Bismarck, ND$47,743$22.95
5San Francisco, CA$47,108$22.65
6Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ$46,660$22.43
7Reno, NV$46,476$22.34
8Austin, TX$46,412$22.31
9Bothell, WA$46,243$22.23
10Laramie, WY$45,388$21.82
11Appleton, WI$44,891$21.58
12Buffalo, NY$42,459$20.41
13Missoula, MT$42,023$20.20
14Chicago, IL$41,838$20.11
15Pittsburgh, PA$40,039$19.25
16Baton Rouge, LA$39,521$19.00
17Columbia, SC$38,455$18.49
18Phoenix, AZ$38,414$18.47
19Albuquerque, NM$38,267$18.40
20Atlanta, GA$35,373$17.01

Archaeological field technician salary details

An archaeological field technician's salary ranges from $33,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $50,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average archaeological field technician salary graph
Average archaeological field technician salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an archaeological field technician's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$50,000$4,167$24
75th Percentile$46,000$3,833$22
Average$41,352$3,446$20
25th Percentile$37,000$3,083$18
10th Percentile$33,000$2,750$16

Highest paying archaeological field technician jobs

The highest paying types of archaeological field technicians are audit technician, ammunition technician, and senior field technician.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Laboratory Analyst$44,024$3,669$21.1744,074
Environmental Services Supervisor$40,163$3,347$19.3167,959
Technician$38,045$3,170$18.29596,842
Surveillance Technician$41,279$3,440$19.8513,099
Field Installation Technician$40,685$3,390$19.5692,922
Environmental Technician$39,690$3,308$19.0843,079

Top companies hiring archaeological field technicians now:

  1. HDR jobs (6)
  2. Great Basin Institute jobs (5)
  3. Hunter jobs (4)
  4. National Park Foundation jobs (5)
  5. SWCA Environmental Consultants jobs (19)

Which companies pay archaeological field technicians the most?

Archaeological field technician salaries at ERM and Michael Baker are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average archaeological field technician salary at companies like RGA Environmental, A Terracon Company and Rincon Consultants are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1ERM$43,476$20.90
2Michael Baker$42,645$20.50
3RGA Environmental, A Terracon Company$42,617$20.49
4Rincon Consultants$42,435$20.40
5Environmental Consulting & Technology$42,108$20.24
6Environmental Science Associates$42,049$20.22
7Amec Foster Wheeler$42,049$20.22
8Stantec$41,547$19.97
9S&ME$41,538$19.97
10TRC Companies$41,110$19.76
11WestLand Resources$41,016$19.72
12Dewberry$40,615$19.53
13Woods Services$40,294$19.37
14Tetra Tech$39,422$18.95
15NOVAworks$36,088$17.35

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$44,000$43,600$43,200$42,800$42,400$42,000
MaleFemale

Archaeological field technician salary trends

The average archaeological field technician salary has risen by $4,821 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average archaeological field technician earned $36,531 annually, but today, they earn $41,352 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for archaeological field technicians over the last decade.

Compare archaeological field technician salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average archaeological field technician salary over time

Compare archaeological field technician salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Archaeological field technician salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$41,400$19.88+0.4%
2025$41,200$19.79+3.1%
2024$39,900$19.18+1.5%
2023$39,300$18.90+2.9%
2022$38,200$18.36+2.6%

Recently added archaeological field technician salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
True EnvironmentalArchaeology Field Technician-Gulf CoastBaton Rouge, LA06/26/2025$41,740
Tetra Tech, Inc.Archaeological Field Technician-Western Plains and Front RangeColorado Springs, CO06/25/2025$58,436
True EnvironmentalArchaeology Field Technician-Gulf CoastHouston, TX06/25/2025$41,740
ErmArchaeological Field TechnicianIrvine, CA06/22/2025$73,207
Stantec Inc.Archaeological Field TechnicianPhiladelphia, PA06/20/2025$44,200
Stantec Inc.Archaeological Field TechnicianAmherst, OH06/20/2025$44,200
Stantec Inc.Archaeological Field TechnicianRochester, NY06/20/2025$44,200
Power EngineersArchaeological Field Technician TemporarySalt Lake City, UT06/19/2025$43,827
Power EngineersArchaeological Field Technician TemporaryPortland, OR06/19/2025$43,827
Power EngineersArchaeological Field Technician TemporaryLas Vegas, NV06/19/2025$43,827

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