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Boston Career Explorer

Life, Physical, and Social Science

Historians

Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Also called: Collections Specialist, County Historian, Historian, Historic Architectural Resources Curator, Historic Interpreter, Historic Preservation Coordinator

Median pay in Greater Boston
$121,710
$58.51/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
Not published
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Master's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$59,370$100,480$121,710$121,710$121,710

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
  • Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
  • Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
  • Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
  • Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
  • Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure84 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 76
  • Language-model AIOE 95
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 80

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

Historians have higher AI exposure, and some AI use is already seen. AI tools can help search archives, sort sources, and draft text. Judging whether a source is authentic, weighing its meaning, and working with historic places and communities still need human judgment.

Likely to change

  • Searching and sorting archive sources
  • Drafting publications and exhibit text

Still relies on people

  • Judging whether sources are authentic
  • Interpreting what the past means

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

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    Turning research into publications and exhibits carries over, and this bachelor's-level role centers on presenting work to clients.

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  • Materials Scientists

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

43 programs near Boston (plus 27 graduate)

Related occupations

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