An archaeologist in the U.S. makes an average salary of $46,161 per year. The lowest end of the payscale pays a salary of $27,501 while the highest pays $66,692. In 2010 they earned $58,040. In 2011 they were paid $56,000 per year. At the time the lowest salary on the payscale was $32,000 a year and the highest salary on the payscale was almost $90,000 per year. As of 2012 archaeologists that chose to teach their craft to others were paid $80,040 per year. By 2013 most of them were making $29.53 per hour which equals $61,420 per year.
Percentiles within the payscale include 10%, 25%, 50% 75% and 90%. 10% pays a yearly salary of $34,320 or $16.50 per hour. 25% pays a yearly salary of $43,530 which translates to $20.93 per hour. 75% pays a yearly salary of $75,820 which works out to $36.45 per hour. 75% pays a yearly salary of $75,820 which breaks down to $36.45 per hour. 90% pays a yearly salary of $92,730 which equals $44.58 per hour.
Archaeologists with a Federal Government job make almost $73,000 per year in salary. Those who work in engineering services earn roughly $65,000 per year. Those who perform scientific research and educational services get paid under $60,000 per year.
Salaries By Region
In 2011 archaeologists in DC were paid over $93,000 each year. Archaeologists in Massachusetts make a $73,000 salary per year. Arkansas, Alaska and Hawaii pay their archaeologists an average of $68,000 to $69,000 per year. Archaeologists in New York, Ogden Utah and Houston, Texas make a salary of over $80,000 per year. Other high paying cities for archaeologists include the following:
- Philadelphia
- Harrisburg
- Boston
- Denver
- Dallas
- Honolulu
- Anchorage
College Archeologists
The University of Chicago pays its Archeologists $30,347 per year. Even though they get paid less than other archeologists they also do more. They often take students out on archaeological digs. This gives them a chance to teach young minds how to carry on their work after they are not able to do it anymore. Many of them leave a legacy for the younger generation to follow. Archaeology is very important in some colleges and universities as many students find it to be a fascinating class that lets them spend time in the real world while learning more about the archaeological history of the world.
Gaining Experience
Any archeologist with less than four years of work experience in the field will usually make under $41,443 per year. The longer they work as an archeologist the more they get paid because they are worth more. The experiences of an archeologist allow them to open their mind to a world they may never become familiar with otherwise and this is why they make the salaries that they do make.
As a growing number of people become interested in archaeology it is likely that the income for an experienced archeologist will slowly become higher over time. They must put in years of work to make big money.
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