Archivists build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and service orientation skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Historians (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Historians | 89% | $76,750 | +19% | None |
| 2 | Document Management Specialists | 85% | $116,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Computer Occupations, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 81% | $80,340 | +24% | None |
| 4 | Social Science Research Assistants | 78% | $61,990 | −4% | None |
| 5 | Anthropologists and Archeologists | 75% | $70,770 | +10% | None |
| 6 | Survey Researchers | 74% | $69,460 | +8% | None |
| 7 | Digital Forensics Analysts | 74% | $116,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Computer Occupations, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Intelligence Analysts | 70% | $93,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Statistical Assistants | 70% | $50,330 | −22% | None |
| 10 | Instructional Coordinators | 69% | $77,440 | +20% | None |
Compared with Archivists, median $64,550. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as archivists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $76,750 · +19% pay
Social Perceptiveness
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
85% skill match · $116,580 (broader BLS group)
Programming · Systems Analysis · Technology Design
81% skill match · $80,340 · +24% pay
Instructing · Social Perceptiveness · Management of Personnel Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Historians (89% skill match, median $76,750), Document Management Specialists (85% skill match, median $116,580) and Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary (81% skill match, median $80,340), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 15 pay more than archivists at the median. The biggest increases: Political Scientists (+120%, $142,080), Information Security Analysts (+100%, $129,180) and Economists (+93%, $124,720).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.