Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IAR

Anthropologists and Archeologists

Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.

Also called: Archaeologist, Communication and Folklore Specialist, Forensic Anthropologist, Researcher, American Indian Policy Specialist, Applied Anthropologist, Applied Cultural Anthropologist, Historical Archaeologist.

O*NET 19-3091.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $70,770; Middle half earn $59,400 to $89,670. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 40% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 8,800 jobs in 2024, projected 9,200. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Anthropologists and archeologists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.
Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.
Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.
Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Writing4.3 / 5
Speaking4.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
Active Listening4.1 / 5
Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
Active Learning3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Sociology and Anthropology4.9 / 5
English Language4.4 / 5
History and Archeology4.2 / 5
Foreign Language4.0 / 5
Education and Training3.9 / 5
Geography3.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic50
Investigative97
Artistic54
Social45
Enterprising10
Conventional37

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

anthropologist · DE Anthropologe/Anthropologin · FR anthropologue
archaeologist · DE Archäologe/Archäologin · FR archéologue

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Social and humanities scientists (2115)35,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.70. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-3091).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test