What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Historians in the U.S. earn more than $76,750 a year — the middle 80% land between $42,730 and $131,810. About 3,450 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Historians”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$76,750typical pay / year
3,450people in this work
$131,810+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing5
Research historical data and evidence
+Locate and compile primary and secondary sources on the chosen historical event, assess provenance and bias…
Research historical data and evidence
+Locate and compile primary and secondary sources on the chosen historical event, assess provenance and bias for each source, annotate quotes and deliver a referenced source dossier and a short evidence timeline within ten days.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft SharePointESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analyze and interpret historical data
+Analyze the compiled archival records to identify patterns, discrepancies and causal claims, produce a…
Analyze and interpret historical data
+Analyze the compiled archival records to identify patterns, discrepancies and causal claims, produce a structured interpretation with counterarguments and confidence levels, and prepare a two‑page summary for peer review by Friday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Write research papers, articles, or books
+Draft the article on the 2002 coastal survey: assemble field notes, dated photos, and specimen lists; write…
Write research papers, articles, or books
+Draft the article on the 2002 coastal survey: assemble field notes, dated photos, and specimen lists; write methods and results with citations to original site reports; produce a submission-ready manuscript and bibliography by Monday for peer review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Officejob descriptionsO*NET
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Advise on historical authenticity and accuracy
+Review the production designs for the documentary and annotate every prop and costume that contradicts known…
Advise on historical authenticity and accuracy
+Review the production designs for the documentary and annotate every prop and costume that contradicts known 1840s material culture, supply brief source notes for each correction, and deliver the annotated script to the director by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Officejob descriptionsO*NET
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Evaluate the reliability of historical sources
+Assess the provenance and date claims for the ten contested letters from the estate: check original folios,…
Evaluate the reliability of historical sources
+Assess the provenance and date claims for the ten contested letters from the estate: check original folios, transcribe marginalia, compare ink and paper notes to dated samples, and return a reliability rating and short justification for each by Thursday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Officejob descriptionsWikipedia
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Keeping the record1
Organize and maintain historical collections
+Inventory the field boxes from the 1998 to 2004 digs, reconcile each artifact against the paper catalogue,…
Organize and maintain historical collections
+Inventory the field boxes from the 1998 to 2004 digs, reconcile each artifact against the paper catalogue, update provenance notes where missing, flag items needing conservation, and produce a corrected accession list by next Wednesday for the collections registrar.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Accessjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work12
Do historical research
+Gather surviving municipal minutes, land records, and the 1937 local newspaper run for Oakridge, verify…
Do historical research
+Gather surviving municipal minutes, land records, and the 1937 local newspaper run for Oakridge, verify provenance and gaps, transcribe key passages with verbatim quotes and archive references, then produce a source-evidence summary for the grant reviewers by next Wednesday.
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Research the past in recorded sources
+Locate parish registers, council correspondence, and regional census extracts referencing the Millner estate…
Research the past in recorded sources
+Locate parish registers, council correspondence, and regional census extracts referencing the Millner estate between 1880 and 1910, assess each item's authorship and bias, extract corroborating details into a dossier, and flag uncertain claims for follow-up field visits.
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Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
+Decide which research topics to pursue for the regional oral history project: survey funder brief, list five…
Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
+Decide which research topics to pursue for the regional oral history project: survey funder brief, list five candidate topics with research questions, expected sources, estimated 40-hour effort, and one recommended topic tied to donor priorities.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Edit historical society publications.
+Edit the summer issue of the historical society bulletin: copyedit articles for tone and accuracy, verify…
Edit historical society publications.
+Edit the summer issue of the historical society bulletin: copyedit articles for tone and accuracy, verify three archival citations, adjust captions for the portrait plates, and prepare a print-ready paginated file to send to the printer by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workAdobe InDesignO*NET
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Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
+Coordinate the cataloguing team to finish accessioning the wartime letters: assign batches to Jenna, Marcus…
Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
+Coordinate the cataloguing team to finish accessioning the wartime letters: assign batches to Jenna, Marcus and Luis, set metadata fields and controlled vocabularies, schedule two QA checks this month, and report progress to the archivist on Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft SharePointO*NET
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Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
+Collect material for a 5,000-word biography of Maria Alvarez: obtain birth, marriage and death records,…
Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
+Collect material for a 5,000-word biography of Maria Alvarez: obtain birth, marriage and death records, locate school and employment files, interview two surviving relatives, and compile a dossier of primary documents with source evaluations.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Translate or request translation of reference materials.
+Translate or commission translation of five Spanish-language police reports from 1972: identify passages…
Translate or request translation of reference materials.
+Translate or commission translation of five Spanish-language police reports from 1972: identify passages essential for the case narrative, request certified translations for quoted material, and attach original scans and translator credentials in the dossier.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatO*NET
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Present findings at conferences or public events
+Prepare a 15-minute conference talk from the Kalinga survey notes, assemble the key findings, figures, and…
Present findings at conferences or public events
+Prepare a 15-minute conference talk from the Kalinga survey notes, assemble the key findings, figures, and three takeaways for non-specialists, build the slide sequence, and export a print-ready handout to bring to Friday's session.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptions
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Develop educational and outreach programs
+Design a two-hour community outreach workshop from our coastal erosion fieldwork with learning objectives, a…
Develop educational and outreach programs
+Design a two-hour community outreach workshop from our coastal erosion fieldwork with learning objectives, a two-part activity for adults and schoolchildren, printable handouts, and an evaluation form so we can run it twice next month and report participation numbers.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Create and interpret timelines and chronological sequences
+Create a chronological timeline of the valley survey from 1998 to 2025, place each field season, radiocarbon…
Create and interpret timelines and chronological sequences
+Create a chronological timeline of the valley survey from 1998 to 2025, place each field season, radiocarbon date, and major site event on the sequence, flag uncertain dates, and produce a printable version for the lab wall.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
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Present the past of human societies
+Prepare a public-facing poster summarising human activity in the river basin: combine settlement maps, a…
Present the past of human societies
+Prepare a public-facing poster summarising human activity in the river basin: combine settlement maps, a two-paragraph synthesis of social change, and captions that avoid jargon so the museum can print it for next month's exhibit opening.
The tools that do the workAdobe InDesignESCO
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Source criticism
+Re-check the provenance claims in the ceramic catalogue: list each item's documented findspot, assess the…
Source criticism
+Re-check the provenance claims in the ceramic catalogue: list each item's documented findspot, assess the reliability of the collector's notes, mark items needing re-examination, and produce a short report with confidence levels for the curator.
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Says who?
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Activities this job lives in
The human activities behind the tasks — each with its honest AI ceiling.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses