Best states for a Historian

Quoted Expert
Dan Murphree
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and life, physical, and social science careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to historian jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for historians.Our research found that Alaska is the best state for historians, while Alaska and Massachusetts are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Alaska has a median salary of $82,429 and Alaska has the highest median salary among all 50 states for historians.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for historians. Alaska is the best state for historians, where the median salary is $82,429.Alaska is the best state, and Anchorage is the city with the highest pay for historians.

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10 best states for historians in 2025

  1. Alaska #1 best state for historians

    1. Alaska

    Total Historian Jobs:2
    Average Annual Salary:$82,429
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$42,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$161,000
    Location Quotient:
    11.8
  2. New Hampshire #2 best state for historians

    2. New Hampshire

    Total Historian Jobs:0
    Average Annual Salary:$78,231
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$38,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$160,000
    Location Quotient:
    0
  3. Massachusetts #3 best state for historians

    3. Massachusetts

    Total Historian Jobs:2
    Average Annual Salary:$78,307
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$38,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$159,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.07
  4. Connecticut #4 best state for historians

    4. Connecticut

    Total Historian Jobs:2
    Average Annual Salary:$75,620
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$37,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$153,000
    Location Quotient:
    2.97
  5. Rhode Island #5 best state for historians

    5. Rhode Island

    Total Historian Jobs:0
    Average Annual Salary:$77,607
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$38,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$157,000
    Location Quotient:
    0
  6. Oregon #6 best state for historians

    6. Oregon

    Total Historian Jobs:2
    Average Annual Salary:$71,934
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$36,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$141,000
    Location Quotient:
    2.38
  7. Vermont #7 best state for historians

    7. Vermont

    Total Historian Jobs:0
    Average Annual Salary:$75,606
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$36,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$158,000
    Location Quotient:
    0
  8. Maine #8 best state for historians

    8. Maine

    Total Historian Jobs:0
    Average Annual Salary:$75,128
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$35,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$157,000
    Location Quotient:
    0
  9. New York #9 best state for historians

    9. New York

    Total Historian Jobs:6
    Average Annual Salary:$73,474
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$36,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$149,000
    Location Quotient:
    2.3
  10. Pennsylvania #10 best state for historians

    10. Pennsylvania

    Total Historian Jobs:0
    Average Annual Salary:$69,461
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$34,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$141,000
    Location Quotient:
    0

How Zippia determines the best states to be a historian

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a historian

Rank
ascdesc
State
ascdesc
Average Salary
ascdesc
Lowest 10% Earn
ascdesc
Population
ascdesc
Job Count
ascdesc
1Alaska$82,429$42,000739,7952
2New Hampshire$78,231$38,0001,342,7950
3Massachusetts$78,307$38,0006,859,8192
4Connecticut$75,620$37,0003,588,1842
5Rhode Island$77,607$38,0001,059,6390
6Oregon$71,934$36,0004,142,7762
7Vermont$75,606$36,000623,6570
8Maine$75,128$35,0001,335,9070
9New York$73,474$36,00019,849,3996
10Pennsylvania$69,461$34,00012,805,5370
11Washington$68,137$34,0007,405,7433
12New Jersey$72,444$35,0009,005,6440
13Nevada$67,187$34,0002,998,0390
14Michigan$65,353$31,0009,962,3110
15California$67,411$35,00039,536,65321
16Delaware$67,930$33,000961,9390
17Idaho$61,676$30,0001,716,9431
18Maryland$64,632$31,0006,052,1773
19Wisconsin$62,248$30,0005,795,4830
20North Dakota$61,764$29,000755,3930
21Arizona$61,435$32,0007,016,2702
22Ohio$59,805$28,00011,658,6090
23Minnesota$61,742$29,0005,576,6060
24Utah$59,133$30,0003,101,8330
25West Virginia$57,561$27,0001,815,8570
26New Mexico$58,042$30,0002,088,0700
27District of Columbia$63,151$30,000693,9720
28Virginia$58,497$28,0008,470,0202
29Hawaii$57,691$46,0001,427,5381
30Indiana$54,923$26,0006,666,8180
31Illinois$57,189$27,00012,802,0230
32Montana$55,149$27,0001,050,4930
33Wyoming$52,985$26,000579,3150
34Kentucky$51,191$25,0004,454,1891
35Louisiana$51,452$26,0004,684,3332
36Texas$53,084$28,00028,304,5962
37Iowa$52,057$25,0003,145,7110
38South Dakota$51,669$25,000869,6660
39Colorado$52,930$27,0005,607,1541
40North Carolina$51,135$25,00010,273,4191
41Mississippi$49,992$25,0002,984,1000
42Oklahoma$50,009$25,0003,930,8640
43Tennessee$48,927$24,0006,715,9840
44Arkansas$48,996$24,0003,004,2790
45Kansas$48,832$24,0002,913,1230
46Nebraska$48,869$24,0001,920,0760
47Missouri$48,656$24,0006,113,5320
48Alabama$48,802$24,0004,874,7470
49Florida$48,104$25,00020,984,4002
50South Carolina$48,526$24,0005,024,3690
51Georgia$48,193$24,00010,429,3792

Highest paying states for historians

Rank
ascdesc
State
ascdesc
Avg. Historian Salary
ascdesc
1Alaska$82,429
2New Hampshire$78,231
3Massachusetts$78,307
4Connecticut$75,620
5Rhode Island$77,607
6Oregon$71,934
7Vermont$75,606
8Maine$75,128
9New York$73,474
10Pennsylvania$69,461
11Washington$68,137
12New Jersey$72,444
13Nevada$67,187
14Michigan$65,353
15California$67,411
16Delaware$67,930
17Idaho$61,676
18Maryland$64,632
19Wisconsin$62,248
20North Dakota$61,764
21Arizona$61,435
22Ohio$59,805
23Minnesota$61,742
24Utah$59,133
25West Virginia$57,561
26New Mexico$58,042
27District of Columbia$63,151
28Virginia$58,497
29Hawaii$57,691
30Indiana$54,923
31Illinois$57,189
32Montana$55,149
33Wyoming$52,985
34Kentucky$51,191
35Louisiana$51,452
36Texas$53,084
37Iowa$52,057
38South Dakota$51,669
39Colorado$52,930
40North Carolina$51,135
41Mississippi$49,992
42Oklahoma$50,009
43Tennessee$48,927
44Arkansas$48,996
45Kansas$48,832
46Nebraska$48,869
47Missouri$48,656
48Alabama$48,802
49Florida$48,104
50South Carolina$48,526
51Georgia$48,193

Expert opinions on the best states for historians

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Historians to find work opportunities?

    D

    Dan MurphreeDan Murphree LinkedIn Profile

    Assistant Editor Florida Historical Quarterly, University of Central Florida

    For History majors, the best work opportunities, upon graduation, are in locations where public and private funding for education and civic engagement is consistently available. While such a budget is often present in urban centers or college/university oriented communities, it also exists in rural areas throughout the U.S., where the understandings of the past are prioritized. Geography is less a factor than local resources and perspectives.

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