Social Science
What you can do with History
The past, and how to argue from evidence. Leads to law, museums, research, teaching and journalism.
- Careers
- 8
- Early career
- $47,500
- Mid-career
- $80,000
- Growing fast
- 3 of 8
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 8 careers a History degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
51% of people with this degree go on to a graduate degree, so the higher-paying careers below usually mean more school after the bachelor's.
3 of 8 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Tour Guide has the most openings, about 13,000 a year.
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8 careers this degree leads to
Lawyer / Attorney
$159,670Advise and represent clients in legal matters, prepare legal documents, and argue cases.
- Middle half of workers
- $102,990 to $221,370
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 31,500
Work-life35Remote45Satisfaction70- Legal Research
- Writing
- Oral Advocacy
- Critical Thinking
Historian
$76,750Research and interpret the past from documents, records and artifacts, for museums, agencies, archives and publishers.
- Middle half of workers
- $57,290 to $99,990
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 300
- Research
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Source Analysis
Teacher (Secondary Education)
$72,040Teach academic, social, and life skills to students at the secondary school level.
- Middle half of workers
- $59,980 to $92,570
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 66,200
Work-life48Remote10Satisfaction70- Instruction
- Classroom Management
- Curriculum Design
- Communication
Anthropologist / Archeologist
$70,770Study human cultures past and present, from field digs to applied research inside companies and agencies.
- Middle half of workers
- $59,400 to $89,670
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 800
Work-life48Remote17- Field Methods
- Ethnography
- Research
- Writing
Archivist
$64,550Appraise, organize and preserve records and documents of lasting value so people can find and use them.
- Middle half of workers
- $50,680 to $83,020
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 1,100
- Organization
- Research
- Cataloging
- Attention to Detail
Curator
$63,420Build and care for museum collections, deciding what a community sees, learns, and preserves.
- Middle half of workers
- $48,870 to $83,080
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 1,800
Work-life63Remote68- Collection Management
- Exhibition Design
- Research
- Grant Writing
Museum Technician / Conservator
$51,440Prepare, care for and restore objects and exhibits in museums, galleries and collections.
- Middle half of workers
- $41,050 to $67,640
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 1,900
- Conservation Techniques
- Attention to Detail
- Research
- Manual Dexterity
Tour Guide
$38,120Lead groups through historic sites, museums, cities and natural areas, and bring the story of a place to life.
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 13,000
- Public Speaking
- Storytelling
- Customer Service
- Local Knowledge
Related majors
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Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.