Also called: Investigative Genetic Genealogist
Uses DNA test results and family trees to find relatives, solve adoption mysteries, and even identify crime suspects.
Takes DNA matches from a consumer test and builds family trees back to the 1800s using census records and obituaries. Sometimes works with police to name an unidentified person decades later.
Mostly freelance; widely variable.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. No single required degree; many are self-taught, with genealogy certificates (e.g., BCG) and a science or history background.
Ways in: Self-taught, Certification, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: History, Genetics, Biology.
Growing faster than average. No BLS data; demand rising with consumer DNA testing.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI now builds family trees and matches records automatically; fewer paid cases need a human, mainly tricky or police work.
Classes: US history, Statistics, AP Biology.
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.