Also called: Archeologist
Uncovers and studies objects people left behind to learn how they lived long ago.
Spends weeks digging careful square pits, screening dirt for arrowheads and pottery, and mapping every find—then months in the lab analyzing and writing reports.
BLS anthropologists & archeologists, May 2024. Median from BLS; 10th/90th percentiles estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's for field tech roles; master's to lead projects; PhD for academic research.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Anthropology, Archaeology, History.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). BLS 2024-34.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps spot sites in imagery and draft reports; digging, recording finds and interpreting the past stay human.
Classes: AP World History, AP Biology, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3091.
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.