Also called: Declassification Specialist, Classified Records Reviewer
Reads old secret government documents line by line and decides what can now be released to the public and historians.
Reviewers sit in secure rooms going through Cold War cables, war plans, and spy reports. They black out names of sources still alive or secrets that still matter, and release the rest. When a famous file is requested, like JFK assassination papers, they coordinate with every agency that has a stake.
Federal GS pay with DC-area locality, 2026 estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's degree, often in history or political science; top-secret clearance.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: History, Political Science, Archival Studies.
Growing about average. Huge backlog of classified records, but budgets are tight (approx.).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI tools are being tested to pre-sort billions of pages, so fewer reviewers may handle final calls.
Classes: AP U.S. History, Government.
Official data: O*NET occupation 43-4199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.