Digging up the past—on land, underwater, and from the sky—to learn how people lived thousands of years ago, and protecting sites before they're destroyed.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Archaeologist: Uncovers and studies objects people left behind to learn how they lived long ago. Typical pay $65k.
Archaeobotanist (Paleoethnobotanist): Studies ancient seeds, pollen, and charred plant remains to learn about early farming and diets. Typical pay $65k.
Remote Sensing Archaeologist: Finds hidden sites using drones, LiDAR lasers, satellite images, and ground-penetrating radar. Typical pay $72k.
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer: Protects a Native American tribe's sacred sites, ancestral remains, and cultural heritage. Typical pay $72k.
State Historic Preservation Archaeologist: Reviews building projects for a state's historic preservation office to make sure important sites are protected. Typical pay $65k.
Historical Archaeologist: Digs up the past of the last 500 years, from colonial towns to plantations and Gold Rush camps, combining artifacts with written records. Typical pay $71k.
Military Recovery Archaeologist: Leads digs at World War II, Korea and Vietnam crash sites and battlefields worldwide to recover missing U.S. service members so they can come home. Typical pay $95k.
Battlefield & Conflict Archaeologist: Uses metal detectors, GPS and old maps to find musket balls, buttons and campsites that reveal how famous battles actually unfolded. Typical pay $62k.
Burial Recovery Archaeologist: Carefully excavates old and forgotten graves when cemeteries must be moved or searched, and helps rebury people with respect. Typical pay $62k.
Starter: fastest way in
Archaeological Field Technician: Digs, screens, and records finds on archaeological projects, often traveling from job to job. Typical pay $40k.
Archaeology Crew Chief: Leads a small team of field technicians on archaeological digs for consulting firms, assigning excavation areas, checking records and training new techs. Typical pay $48k.
Archaeology Lab Technician: Cleans, sorts, catalogs, and stores artifacts after excavation. Typical pay $40k.
Archaeological Illustrator: Draws precise illustrations of artifacts, sites, and reconstructions for reports and museums. Typical pay $45k.
Archaeological Monitor: Watches construction digging to spot and protect artifacts or human remains before they are destroyed. Typical pay $46k.
Tribal Cultural Monitor: Represents a Native American tribe at construction and excavation sites to protect ancestral sites and remains. Typical pay $45k.
Flintknapper & Primitive Technology Demonstrator: Makes stone arrowheads, spear points and tools the ancient way, selling replicas and demonstrating at parks, museums and schools. Typical pay $30k.
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.