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.
Analysing2
Research historical data and evidence
+Gather operational reports, unit diaries and after-action summaries for the 1944 campaign, verify citations…
Research historical data and evidence
+Gather operational reports, unit diaries and after-action summaries for the 1944 campaign, verify citations and provenance, extract supporting evidence for the unit casualty study, and produce a source list with archive citations for publication.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analyze and interpret historical data
+Analyze the convoy logs and intelligence summaries to reconcile conflicting dates and unit movements, produce…
Analyze and interpret historical data
+Analyze the convoy logs and intelligence summaries to reconcile conflicting dates and unit movements, produce a timeline with interpretation of discrepancies, and draft a short analytical memo for the research director.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Keeping the record1
Organize and maintain historical collections
+Organize the wartime photograph collection, create standardized metadata for each image including unit, date…
Organize and maintain historical collections
+Organize the wartime photograph collection, create standardized metadata for each image including unit, date and location, group prints into bound folders and update the catalogue so preservation can schedule digitization next quarter.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work12
Evaluate the reliability of historical sources
+Assess the reliability of twelve cited sources for my article on the Russo-Japanese War, rate each for…
Evaluate the reliability of historical sources
+Assess the reliability of twelve cited sources for my article on the Russo-Japanese War, rate each for contemporaneity, author bias, provenance, and corroboration, and recommend which four to prioritise for citation this month.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsWikipedia
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Do historical research
+Assemble a dossier on the Battle of Kursk using primary unit war diaries, German and Soviet operational…
Do historical research
+Assemble a dossier on the Battle of Kursk using primary unit war diaries, German and Soviet operational orders, and British intelligence summaries from 1943, note contradictions in dates and unit strengths, flag sources I must verify before drafting the chapter.
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Research the past in recorded sources
+Trace the operational history of the 3rd Guards Tank Army in 1943 through unit reports, personnel lists and…
Research the past in recorded sources
+Trace the operational history of the 3rd Guards Tank Army in 1943 through unit reports, personnel lists and archived dispatches, extract every movement and casualty figure into a timeline, mark items lacking corroboration for follow-up.
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Edit historical society publications.
+Edit the forthcoming issue of the regimental society journal: copyedit articles for accuracy and tone, verify…
Edit historical society publications.
+Edit the forthcoming issue of the regimental society journal: copyedit articles for accuracy and tone, verify all footnotes against cited archives, prepare figure captions and a single running head, and return a print-ready PDF proof to the editor by next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatO*NET
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Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
+Coordinate the cataloguing team to process 2,000 wartime letters: assign batches by date and unit, enforce…
Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
+Coordinate the cataloguing team to process 2,000 wartime letters: assign batches by date and unit, enforce the metadata standard, schedule daily quality checks, and produce a completed searchable index and filing map within six weeks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft SharePointO*NET
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Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
+Collect a detailed dossier on Lieutenant Colonel James Harper: gather service records, medal citations,…
Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
+Collect a detailed dossier on Lieutenant Colonel James Harper: gather service records, medal citations, pension files, contemporary newspaper mentions, and family papers, assess reliability of each source, and assemble a chronological narrative plus source register.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Translate or request translation of reference materials.
+Identify untranslated German war diaries relevant to the Normandy campaign, request certified translations…
Translate or request translation of reference materials.
+Identify untranslated German war diaries relevant to the Normandy campaign, request certified translations for the five most pertinent volumes, send translators the preferred style notes with an eight‑week deadline, and flag any damaged pages for conservation.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Present findings at conferences or public events
+Present my research on the Battle of El Alamein at the Royal Historical Society meeting on Thursday: a…
Present findings at conferences or public events
+Present my research on the Battle of El Alamein at the Royal Historical Society meeting on Thursday: a 20‑minute talk with 10 slides, one map showing troop movements, one slide of contested sources, and a one‑page handout for attendees — check citations and timings first.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptions
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Develop educational and outreach programs
+Design a three‑session outreach programme on the Hundred Days Campaign for secondary schools, including…
Develop educational and outreach programs
+Design a three‑session outreach programme on the Hundred Days Campaign for secondary schools, including lesson plans, two workshop activities, a short teacher evaluation sheet, and a one‑paragraph publicity blurb to send to the county education officer by next Monday.
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 British armoured doctrine 1918–1945 with dates, short event descriptions,…
Create and interpret timelines and chronological sequences
+Create a chronological timeline of British armoured doctrine 1918–1945 with dates, short event descriptions, primary source citations, and a visual bar showing overlapping developments, export as an editable timeline and a printable one‑page summary for students.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
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Present the past of human societies
+Prepare a public lecture tracing the social impact of conscription in Britain 1914–1918, with three central…
Present the past of human societies
+Prepare a public lecture tracing the social impact of conscription in Britain 1914–1918, with three central arguments, two case studies, audience Q&A prompts, and a readable one‑page bibliography to hand out at the museum event next Saturday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointESCO
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Source criticism
+Examine the provenance and reliability of the August 1944 battalion report: list where it was found, record…
Source criticism
+Examine the provenance and reliability of the August 1944 battalion report: list where it was found, record transcription variations, assess possible authorship biases, give a confidence rating, and recommend sources for further corroboration.
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Says who?
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses