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This page is a guide to available resources (including surveys, statistical data, and publications) relating to archival compensation. It also includes resources from allied fields such as museums, libraries, and public history.
Do you know a resource that should be included? Please let us know by emailing [EMAIL TBD].
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS): This program from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides annual data on employment and wages by occupation and industry for over 800 occupations and for about 400 industries throughout the nation, and similar data for all states and selected metropolitan areas.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Also produced by the BLS, this is a guide to career information about hundreds of occupations. Below are links to archives and archives-adjacent occupations with data:
O*NET: Sponsored by the Department of Labor, O*NET provides an in-depth look at occupational information in the US. In addition to salary and employment data, it provides a look at the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for an occupation as well as interests, work styles, and values.
CareerOneStop salary information tool: Sponsored by the Department of Labor, this tool allows you to search an occupation's salary information by city, state, or zip code and compare with national averages.
A*CENSUS: The first truly comprehensive nationwide survey of the archives profession, fielded in early May 2004.
College & University Archives: A Landscape Survey: Preliminary Findings: This 2021 survey by SAA's College and University Archives Section gathered baseline data on the current landscape of the archival profession in college and university archives. It includes demographic, employment, and salary data.
SAA19 Archivist Salary Transparency Open Spreadsheet: This Google Sheet was created during the 2019 SAA Annual Meeting with the goal of collecting anonymous data on salaries, benefits, student debt, and working conditions, and more. It continues to be updated on a monthly basis.
The State of State Records: A Statistical Report on State Archives and Records Management Programs in the United States: This survey by the Council of State Archivists includes data on staffing, salaries by position and tenure, and pay increases.
Women Archivists Section/SAA Salary Survey (2017): This survey gathered data that gives context to employment in the archives profession by gender and also sought to gather data on how identities such as age, race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and socioeconomic status interact to affect outcomes on salary, employment, leadership, and professional advancement in the field.
Adjunct Salaries (academic year 2019-2020)
ALA-APA Salary Survey (available to ALA members only): This survey summarizes library workers’ salaries across six position categories and includes data from both librarian (2006 – 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2019) and non-MLS (2006 – 2007) workers in public and academic libraries. The most recent available data is from 2019.
Arts + All Museums Salary Transparency (collected May-December 2019)
Art + Museums Transparency End Unpaid Internships (collected July-December 2019)
Association of Art Museum Directors Annual Salary Survey (2012-current, all art museum positions)
Library Worker Salary Info and Interview Questions
Professional Organization of Women in the Arts Salary Survey (2019)
Bibliography of professional literature on compensation, salary, benefits, and related work-life issues