What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called accessioning archivist, digital archivist, digital asset archivist and film archivist.
$64,550
Median pay a year
7,970
People do this work
6
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Real figures for this work, and lines you can use in your own resume. Where they come from is at the foot of this page.
An example
An Archivist resume, filled in
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Evaluating archival characteristics
Developing archive policies
Collecting archival data
Editing documents
Developing library databases
Researching expertise topics
Planning community programs
Preparing materials
Organizing informational materials
Writing informational material
Helping patrons use library
Directing subordinate activities
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Archivist
Summary
Archivist appraising, editing, and directing the safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents while organizing archival materials and providing user assistance for research activities
Experience
Archivist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Organized archival records and developed classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials
Provided reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials
Prepared archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information
Created and maintained accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology
Established and administered policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials
Directed activities of workers who assisted in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials
Preserved records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary
Developing archive policies, Organizing informational materials, Writing informational material
Core Skills
Collecting archival data, Preparing materials
Tools and software
Archivists' Toolkit, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Access
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Doctorate (PhD) Your university, Year
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What did you do each day?
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Organized archival records and classification systemsProvided reference services for archival materialsPrepared document descriptions for easy accessCreated and maintained computer archives and databasesEstablished policy guidelines for public accessDirected activities of workers in collections management
becomes
On your resume
Organized archival records and developed classification systems to facilitate easy access to materials
Prepared document descriptions to improve user navigation and retrieval of archival resources
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Mention how many records you organized or classified.
The line
Organized hundreds of archival records each month and developed classification systems for easy access to materials
Mention how many records you organized or classified.
Pick one that fits
Hundreds of records each monthSeveral collections at onceMost of the archive's materials
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Show what improved for users after you prepared the descriptions.
The line
Prepared document descriptions to improve user navigation and retrieval of archival resources
Show what improved for users after you prepared the descriptions.
Pick one that fits
Users found materials fasterAccess to information became easierSearch requests decreased significantly
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In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
What an Archivist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
What it pays
How much does an Archivist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$50,680
Median
$64,550
75th percentile
$83,020
About 7,970 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AL
$48,910
$57,860
$73,920
AR
$39,950
$58,560
$103,380
AZ
$32,560
$47,010
$62,020
CA
$53,200
$70,530
$91,170
CO
$46,820
$59,210
$78,210
CT
$45,790
$79,790
$119,190
DC
$76,320
$93,040
$108,160
DE
$43,140
$53,890
$63,680
FL
$44,610
$52,100
$75,860
GA
$47,850
$59,010
$75,460
IA
$47,930
$59,010
$62,460
ID
$53,770
$58,370
$72,630
IL
$54,950
$59,340
$76,790
IN
$45,840
$54,220
$65,760
KS
$36,040
$49,200
$64,960
KY
$43,500
$48,810
$60,020
LA
$46,480
$59,070
$71,230
MA
$64,290
$78,180
$100,360
MD
$58,910
$76,440
$118,290
ME
$48,550
$56,260
$64,580
MI
$48,860
$63,890
$79,880
MN
$46,450
$65,740
$68,440
MO
$49,960
$60,020
$76,980
NC
$47,460
$55,370
$65,920
NH
$46,650
$61,410
$75,530
NJ
$52,450
$67,900
$82,960
NY
$60,510
$73,860
$94,890
OH
$48,660
$58,790
$66,920
OK
$43,740
$51,940
$65,370
OR
$50,080
$61,880
$72,770
PA
$47,110
$60,690
$74,090
PR
$33,840
$40,900
$42,670
RI
$69,600
$76,990
$94,460
SC
$43,850
$52,810
$65,810
TN
$45,660
$53,210
$63,820
TX
$38,590
$50,160
$64,210
UT
$50,630
$56,660
$60,340
WA
$63,500
$76,490
$92,770
WI
$42,730
$59,400
$71,070
Other names
Other names for this job
accessioning archivist, digital archivist, digital asset archivist, film archivist, image archivist, museum archivist, processing archivist, project archivist, reference archivist, state archivist, university archivist, archives specialist.
More names for this work
archives tech, archives technician, digitization assistant, document management tech, document management technician, document scanner, records associate, records clerk, records management specialist, records manager, records specialist, registrar.
What you can already claim
What you can already claim as an Archivist
Below are the tasks an Archivist job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
You can already claim 4 of the 9 tasks this job is made of.
What you have not done yet. Developing library databases, Researching expertise topics, Planning community programs
Your resume, already started
Archivist
Evaluating archival characteristics
Developing archive policies
Collecting archival data
Editing documents
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This page is about the occupation Archivists. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.