Career comparison
Archivist vs. History Professor
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
History professors earn more at the median ($83,820 vs. $64,550), while archivists usually get to work faster (2 years after a bachelor’s of training). Archivists preserve historical records and help people find them. History professors teach college students how the past shaped today and how to study it.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Archivist | History Professor | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $64,550 ($31.03/hr) | $83,820 |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $39,970 – $110,550 | $48,410 – $162,160 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +3.4% (about as fast as average) | 0.0% (little or no change) |
| Openings per year | 1,100 | 1,500 |
| Typical entry education | Master's degree | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Training time | 2 years after a bachelor’s | 6–8 years after a bachelor’s |
| Key credential | Certified Archivist | Ph.D. in history |
| Work setting | Archivists work in archives, libraries, museums, government offices and corporations.. | Faculty work in classrooms, offices, libraries and archives.. |
What each job does
Archivist
- Appraise records
- Arrange and describe collections
- Write finding aids
- Preserve materials
- Digitize collections
History Professor
- Teach history courses
- Teach primary source analysis
- Research in archives
- Publish articles and books
- Mentor students
How they’re similar
Both careers involve working independently and desk work. Both are part of the education & childcare field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose archivist if…
- I love history
- I’m very organized
- I like quiet work
Choose history professor if…
- I love history
- I like digging through archives
- I like writing
Still torn? Take the Archivist fit quiz and the History Professor fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, archivist or history professor?
History Professors earn more at the median: $83,820 versus $64,550 for archivists, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Archivists typically train faster (2 years after a bachelor’s) than history professors (6–8 years after a bachelor’s).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects archivists to grow +3.4% from 2025–35, compared with 0.0% for history professors.