Archaeologist Salary in the United States

How much does an Archaeologist make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for an Archaeologist in the United States is $76,135 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $37.

However, an Archaeologist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $98,053
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $67,167 to $87,608
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $59,002
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View as table View as graph 25% $67,167 10% $59,002 90% $98,053 75% $87,608 $76,135 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Archaeologist Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $87,608 $7,301 $1,685 $42
Average $76,135 $6,345 $1,464 $37
25th Percentile $67,167 $5,597 $1,292 $32
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Key Factors That Influence Archaeologist Salaries

An Archaeologist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Archaeologist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Archaeologist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $72,361
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $72,627
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $74,359
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $79,509
  • Expert (over 8 years): $81,196
Levels Salary
Entry Level Archaeologist$72,361
Intermediate Level Archaeologist$72,627
Senior Level Archaeologist$74,359
Specialist Level Archaeologist$79,509
Expert Level Archaeologist$81,196
$72,361 0 yr
$72,627 < 2 yrs
$74,359 2-4 yrs
$79,509 5-8 yrs
$81,196 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Archaeologists

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $96,028
  • San Francisco: $95,084
  • Oakland: $92,975

What Skills Can Increase an Archaeologist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 14.03% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 3.43% Job Postings): Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
  • Cell Biology (Mentioned in 1.78% Job Postings): Utilizing techniques to study cell structures and functions for further research on human anatomy, physiology, and medications.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 14.03%
Data Analysis 3.43%
Cell Biology 1.78%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Archaeologist's salary.
  • Oncology: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Biotechnology: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
  • Clinical Trial: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Oncology
$91,361
20%
Biotechnology
$86,032
13%
Clinical Trial
$83,748
10%
Insight
$82,987
9%
Process Development
$82,987
9%
Immunology
$82,987
9%
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How Education impacts an Archaeologist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Archaeologists enter the field with a Master's Degree or MBA degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Archaeologist with a Master's Degree or MBA is between $81,016 and $89,067).

Archaeologist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Archaeologist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.7%
High School 0.7%
Associates 54.7%
Bachelors 15.8%
Masters 54.7%
Doctorate 28.7%
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Archaeologist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Archaeologist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Archaeologist

Salaries for an Archaeologist can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $71,063 in 2023 to around $70,033 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Archaeologist salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Archaeologist Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$71,063
2024
$71,345
2025
$70,033
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $71,063
2024 $71,345
2025 $70,033
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Archaeologist

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Archaeologist

Here are companies hiring for Archaeologist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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