Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Anthropologists and Archeologists
Occupation · SOC 19-3091.00
Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.
Also called: Archaeologist · Communication and Folklore Specialist · Forensic Anthropologist · Researcher · American Indian Policy Specialist · Applied Anthropologist · Applied Cultural Anthropologist · Historical Archaeologist · Research Archaeologist · Anthropologist · Archaeological Field Technician · Archaeological Technician (Archeological Tech)
Job family: Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-19-3091-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+3.7% by 2034)
- 800 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $64,910/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (5th), high AI task-overlap now (66th)
66th-percentile task overlap — yet about 800 openings a year (+3.7% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 64th | 0.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 68th | 0.8 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 66th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.8). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 5th percentile among occupations · Low
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions. | 4.4% | |
| Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences. | 4.3% | |
| Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary. | 3.5% | |
| Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings. | 3.4% | |
| Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions. | 2.9% | |
| Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns. | 2.5% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +3.7% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 8,800 → 9,200 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Anthropologists and Archeologists sits at the 86th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
48% mean task exposure (2025)
86th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Sociologists, Anthropologists and Related Professionals · 2632 | 48% | Gradient 2 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents. Core · importance 4.6
- Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology. · importance 4.4
- Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences. Core · importance 4.4
- Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations. Core · importance 4.3
- Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary. Core · importance 4.1
- Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection. Core · importance 4.0
- Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings. Core · importance 4.0
- Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning. Core · importance 4.0
- Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures. Core · importance 3.9
- Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials. Core · importance 3.9
- Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement. Core · importance 3.8
- Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences. Core · importance 3.7
- Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods. Core · importance 3.7
- Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration. Core · importance 3.7
- Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found. Core · importance 3.6
- Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments. Core · importance 3.6
- Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures. Core · importance 3.6
- Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance. Core · importance 3.5
- Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites. Core · importance 3.5
- Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions. Core · importance 3.5
- Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research. · importance 3.5
- Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities. Core · importance 3.4
- Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions. Core · importance 3.4
- Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts. Core · importance 3.4
- Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances. Core · importance 3.4
- Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction. Core · importance 3.4
- Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists. Core · importance 3.3
- Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers. Core · importance 3.3
- Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns. Core · importance 3.2
- Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions. Core · importance 3.1
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Write, present, and publish research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
Work activities
- Conduct anthropological or archaeological research.
- Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys.
- Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
- Evaluate characteristics of archival or historical objects.
- Plan social sciences research.
- Direct scientific activities.
- Record research or operational data.
- Inspect condition of natural environments.
- Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
- Collect biological specimens.
- Mark materials or objects for identification.
- Package materials or products.
- Conduct research on social issues.
- Collect archival data.
- Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
- Advise others on matters of public policy.
- Document events or evidence, using photographic or audiovisual equipment.
- Design psychological or educational treatment procedures or programs.
- Collaborate with technical specialists to resolve design or development problems.
- Communicate with government agencies.
- Clean objects.
- Conduct scientific research of organizational behavior or processes.
- Plan community programs or activities for the general public.
- Develop theories or models of social phenomena.
- Conduct historical research.
- Apply knowledge or research findings to address environmental problems.
- Advise others on educational matters.
- Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
- Instruct college students in social sciences or humanities disciplines.
- Write grant proposals.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Written Comprehension | 4.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.4 | |
| Written Expression | 4.4 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.3 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 4.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.9 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.9 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.8 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.8 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.4 | |
| Originality | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Far Vision | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Writing | 4.3 | |
| Speaking | 4.3 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | |
| Active Listening | 4.1 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 | |
| Active Learning | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.5 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.4 | |
| Science | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 | |
| Instructing | 3.3 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 50.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 58.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 5 — Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Typical entry-level education
- Master's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (8.0 and above) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies , Social Sciences . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Doctoral Degree | 40.0% | |
| Master's Degree | 30.0% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 20.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 5.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Investigative | 6.8 | |
| Artistic | 4.2 | |
| Realistic | 4.0 | |
| Social | 3.7 | |
| Conventional | 3.2 |
Interest areas
| Humanities | 6.7 | |
| Social Science | 6.5 | |
| Public Speaking | 3.4 | |
| Teaching/Education | 3.3 | |
| Nature/Outdoors | 2.8 | |
| Creative Writing | 2.5 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 2.5 | |
| Media | 2.5 |
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 4.0 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 3.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $44,510 |
| 25th percentile | $51,240 |
| Median (50th) | $64,910 |
| 75th percentile | $83,080 |
| 90th percentile | $104,510 |
| People employed | 8,070 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 5,160 | $60,630 |
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 1,810 | $60,940 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 520 | $63,410 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 320 | $58,500 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 200 | $48,370 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 568.88× | 1,810 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 9.15× | 5,160 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 8.59× | 520 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 1.45× | 200 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.45× | 320 |
Related occupations
Part of the Education , Healthcare & Human Services and Public Service & Safety career clusters.
- Historians · 19-3093.00 Compare →
- Sociologists · 19-3041.00 Compare →
- Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1061.00 Compare →
- Geographers · 19-3092.00 Compare →
- Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1062.00 Compare →
- History Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1125.00 Compare →
- Curators · 25-4012.00 Compare →
- Archivists · 25-4011.00 Compare →
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · 19-2042.00 Compare →
- Social Science Research Assistants · 19-4061.00 Compare →
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1067.00 Compare →
- Geography Teachers, Postsecondary · 25-1064.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Anthropologists and Archeologists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Master's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 5 — Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
- Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 86th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Anthropologists and Archeologists show 66th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 800 annual U.S. openings
- Anthropologists and Archeologists rank in the 66th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.7%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $64,910, across about 8,070 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Anthropologists and Archeologists show 66th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 800 annual U.S. openings • Anthropologists and Archeologists rank in the 66th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.7%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $64,910, across about 8,070 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Anthropologists and Archeologists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3091-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Anthropologists and Archeologists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3091-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Anthropologists and Archeologists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3091-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-19-3091-00,
title = {Anthropologists and Archeologists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3091-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.