Also called: Property History Researcher, Building Biographer
Researches the history of old homes, digging through deeds, census records and photos to tell owners who lived there and what happened.
A family buys a 1910 bungalow and wants its story. You search county deed books, old city directories and census sheets, find the original owner was a streetcar conductor, and locate a 1930s photo of the porch. You write a short illustrated "house biography" that the family frames in the hallway.
Mostly self-employed; often combined with genealogy or preservation work.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in history is common; skills come from genealogy and archives research.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: History, Public History, Historic Preservation.
Growing about average. A small but steady niche among old-home owners and realtors.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds up searching digitized records; digging in county archives and telling a house's story well stay human.
Classes: AP US History, English, Photography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3093.
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.