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.
Analysing4
Research historical data and evidence
+Gather primary manuscripts, archived usability notes, and log files dating back ten years, extract provenance…
Research historical data and evidence
+Gather primary manuscripts, archived usability notes, and log files dating back ten years, extract provenance details and citation-level metadata, reconcile conflicting dates and report gaps and biases in the historical record by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft SharePointESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analyze and interpret historical data
+Synthesize the decade of session transcripts, survey datasets and field notes into a narrative of changing…
Analyze and interpret historical data
+Synthesize the decade of session transcripts, survey datasets and field notes into a narrative of changing user needs, run cross-tab checks for inconsistency, highlight causal claims supported by evidence, and deliver an annotated interpretation memo by Thursday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Advise on historical authenticity and accuracy
+Review the design team's period pieces and advise on historical accuracy, list five anachronisms with source…
Advise on historical authenticity and accuracy
+Review the design team's period pieces and advise on historical accuracy, list five anachronisms with source citations, propose corrections that preserve usability, and send the advisory note to Priya and the design lead by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft SharePointjob descriptionsO*NET
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Evaluate the reliability of historical sources
+Assess twenty cited primary documents for provenance, author bias, and internal consistency, grade each…
Evaluate the reliability of historical sources
+Assess twenty cited primary documents for provenance, author bias, and internal consistency, grade each source as high, medium or low reliability with justifications, and produce a reliability table and recommendations for future use by Friday noon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsWikipedia
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Keeping the record1
Organize and maintain historical collections
+Create a dated catalogue of research artifacts, assign consistent identifiers, add source descriptions and…
Organize and maintain historical collections
+Create a dated catalogue of research artifacts, assign consistent identifiers, add source descriptions and access restrictions, migrate orphaned files into the archive, and deliver the curated collection index and ingestion log by Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft SharePointjob descriptionsO*NET
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Learning1
Write research papers, articles, or books
+Draft a 3,000-word research article that argues how past usability patterns shaped current product decisions,…
Write research papers, articles, or books
+Draft a 3,000-word research article that argues how past usability patterns shaped current product decisions, support claims with primary excerpts and citation footnotes, include methods and limitations, and circulate the draft to Emma and Raj for review by next Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Officejob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work12
Do historical research
+Compile a timeline of user-interface decisions for our flagship app from 2010–2020 using primary sources:…
Do historical research
+Compile a timeline of user-interface decisions for our flagship app from 2010–2020 using primary sources: product specs, meeting minutes, and design drafts; annotate each entry with source reliability, contradictions, and a one-paragraph implication for current roadmap by Friday.
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Research the past in recorded sources
+Trace how onboarding language changed between 2012 and 2018 by locating original release notes, internal copy…
Research the past in recorded sources
+Trace how onboarding language changed between 2012 and 2018 by locating original release notes, internal copy decks, and support tickets; extract exact phrasings, note who approved each change, and produce a short memo with recommended wording to test next sprint.
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Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.
+Trace the field’s development from 1900 to 2000, identify the key turning points, primary actors, and…
Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.
+Trace the field’s development from 1900 to 2000, identify the key turning points, primary actors, and landmark publications, annotate each claim with its archival source and a confidence level, and deliver a narrated timeline and evidence appendix by next Thursday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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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 user-experience team this quarter by mapping product pain…
Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
+Decide which research topics to pursue for the user-experience team this quarter by mapping product pain points, stakeholder requests from marketing and support, competitor gaps, and feasibility, then recommend three ranked topics with research questions and sample methods by Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Edit historical society publications.
+Edit the historical society’s spring bulletin: tighten prose, fact-check dates and citations against the…
Edit historical society publications.
+Edit the historical society’s spring bulletin: tighten prose, fact-check dates and citations against the society’s archive files, standardise captions and style, and return a print-ready PDF proof to the editor by Friday afternoon.
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 for the next two weeks: assign folders for accession numbers 1200–1350, set…
Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
+Coordinate the cataloguing team for the next two weeks: assign folders for accession numbers 1200–1350, set metadata fields and controlled vocabularies, track progress daily, and flag any items needing conservation to Anna by end of day.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft SharePointO*NET
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Translate or request translation of reference materials.
+Locate reference materials in French, Russian, and German for the literature review, request professional…
Translate or request translation of reference materials.
+Locate reference materials in French, Russian, and German for the literature review, request professional translations where machine quality is insufficient, track translator assignments and deadlines, and deliver translated excerpts with original citations within ten days.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeO*NET
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Present findings at conferences or public events
+Prepare a 20-minute conference talk summarising the study of first-time users of our city transit app,…
Present findings at conferences or public events
+Prepare a 20-minute conference talk summarising the study of first-time users of our city transit app, include three clear takeaways, two illustrative quotes from participants, and a printable two-page handout for attendees by Thursday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointjob descriptions
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Develop educational and outreach programs
+Design a four-session public outreach program teaching basic UX research methods to library staff: draft…
Develop educational and outreach programs
+Design a four-session public outreach program teaching basic UX research methods to library staff: draft session goals, one hands-on activity per session, a materials list, and a 50-word recruitment blurb for the library newsletter within two days.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Create and interpret timelines and chronological sequences
+Assemble an interactive timeline of our product’s major usability fixes and user-reported issues with dates,…
Create and interpret timelines and chronological sequences
+Assemble an interactive timeline of our product’s major usability fixes and user-reported issues with dates, short impact notes, and suggested future checks, export as a spreadsheet that recalculates when rows are added.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
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Present the past of human societies
+Create a museum-style public talk that explains the social history behind our app’s user behaviours, select…
Present the past of human societies
+Create a museum-style public talk that explains the social history behind our app’s user behaviours, select five illustrative artifacts or screenshots, draft a one-page flyer and a 10-slide talk for community night next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordESCO
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Source criticism
+Produce a source-criticism memo evaluating three major datasets used in the research, note provenance,…
Source criticism
+Produce a source-criticism memo evaluating three major datasets used in the research, note provenance, collection method, likely biases, and recommended caution when quoting, deliver as a two-page memo by Tuesday.
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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
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses