Processing Archivist Salary in the United States

How much does a Processing Archivist make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Processing Archivist in the United States is $167,826 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $81.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $184,749
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $155,690 to $176,684
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $144,641

Key Factors That Influence Processing Archivist Salaries

A Processing Archivist'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 Processing Archivist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Processing Archivist'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): $119,460
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $140,676
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $168,669
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $136,040
  • Expert (over 8 years): $153,124
Levels Salary
Systems A... Level Processing Archivist$119,460
Systems A... Level Processing Archivist$140,676
Processin... Level Processing Archivist$168,669
Systems A... Level Processing Archivist$136,040
Systems A... Level Processing Archivist$153,124

How Do Processing Archivist Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Processing Archivists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $185,817.
  • California: $185,112.
  • Massachusetts: $182,645.

Top Paying Cities for Processing Archivists

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: $211,679
  • San Francisco: $209,361
  • Oakland: $204,949

What Skills Can Increase a Processing Archivist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 5.34% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 2.75% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
  • Python (Mentioned in 1.44% Job Postings): Applying the concepts and algorithms of Python to design, develop and maintain software applications to comply with business requirements.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 5.34%
Software Development 2.75%
Python 1.44%

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 a Processing Archivist's salary.

  • Partnering: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Systems Architecture: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Partnering $177,896
6%
Systems Architecture $176,217
5%
Commitment $174,539
4%

Processing Archivist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Processing Archivist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 20% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Energy & Utilities sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 10% above the average. In contrast, Processing Archivist positions in Retail & Wholesale or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Processing Archivist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Processing Archivist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense$184,609$89.010%
Energy & Utilities$184,609$89.010%
Financial Services$184,609$89.010%
Pharmaceuticals$184,609$89.010%
Software & Networking$184,609$89.010%

How Education impacts a Processing Archivist's Salary?

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

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Processing Archivist with a Bachelor's Degree is between $166,206 and $173,760).

Processing Archivist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Processing Archivist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 2.6%
High School 11.9%
Associates 6.7%
Bachelors 49.5%
Masters 27.3%
Doctorate 2.1%

Processing Archivist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Processing Archivist'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 September 01, 2026
$155,690
Average $167,826/year
$176,684
$12,974
Average $13,986/month
$14,724
$2,994
Average $3,227/week
$3,398
$75
Average $81/hour
$85
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $176,684 $14,724 $3,398 $85
Average $167,826 $13,986 $3,227 $81
25th Percentile $155,690 $12,974 $2,994 $75

Most common benefits for Processing Archivist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Processing Archivist

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

Find Your Next Processing Archivist Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Processing Archivist job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Processing Archivist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Processing Archivist?

The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Processing Archivist roles, with salaries approximately 10% above the market median.

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.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst