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Singulariki

Historians

Occupation · SOC 19-3093.00

Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Also called: Collections Specialist · Historian · Historical Interpreter · Researcher · County Historian · Historic Architectural Resources Curator · Historic Interpreter · Historic Preservation Coordinator · Historic Sites Registrar · Research Historian · Architectural Historian · Art Historian

Job family: Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

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Download .md

A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-19-3093-00/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.

Often handed to AI

Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.

  • Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as use in CD-ROMs or Internet sites. · 32.1%
  • Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. · 1.0%
  • Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives. · 0.8%
See how AI is used here →

Use as a copilot

Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.

  • Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories. · 3.4%
  • Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools. · 2.0%
  • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals. · 1.1%
See collaboration patterns →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. · 99.0% need a human
  • Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers. · 98.4% need a human
  • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals. · 98.2% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

88th-percentile task overlap — yet about 300 openings a year (+2.2% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4525% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . 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.) High 78th 1.1
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High 70th 0.8
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High 100th 0.5

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), 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.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

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 0.4 · 45th percentile among occupations · Moderate

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.

Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period. 6.8%
Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit. 4.3%
Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools. 4.0%
Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. 2.7%
Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives. 2.6%
Translate or request translation of reference materials. 2.2%

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 · +2.2% by 2034
Projected annual openings 300
Employment 2024 → 2034 3,400 → 3,500

“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.

47% mean task exposure (2025)
85th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+6 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Philosophers, Historians and Political Scientists · 2633 47% 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.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 45.3% working with AI · 48.9% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction
Typical AI autonomy 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 32.1%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as use in CD-ROMs or Internet sites. Directive 32.1%
Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories. Learning 3.4%
Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools. Learning 2.0%
Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals. Learning 1.1%
Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. Directive 1.0%
Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history. Learning 0.9%
Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives. Directive 0.8%
Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit. Iteration 0.8%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. 99.0%
Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers. 98.4%
Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals. 98.2%
Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history. 97.6%
Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories. 96.5%
Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as use in CD-ROMs or Internet sites. 96.0%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as use in CD-ROMs or Internet sites.

    From: Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as use in CD-ROMs or Internet sites. · 32.1% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.

    From: Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories. · 3.4% of measured AI use · learning

  • Help me teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.

    From: Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools. · 2.0% of measured AI use · learning

  • Help me gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals.

    From: Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals. · 1.1% of measured AI use · learning

Tasks

All 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Emerging tasks

Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.

  • Coordinate artifact donations on behalf of a museum.
  • Create and revise scripts for the tour guides.
  • Write policies and procedures for archival collection care and research protocols.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Abilities

Written Comprehension 4.9
Written Expression 4.3
Oral Comprehension 4.0
Oral Expression 4.0
Near Vision 4.0
Inductive Reasoning 3.9
Deductive Reasoning 3.8
Speech Clarity 3.8
Speech Recognition 3.5
Information Ordering 3.4
Fluency of Ideas 3.3
Category Flexibility 3.3
Problem Sensitivity 3.1
Selective Attention 3.0
Originality 2.9
Flexibility of Closure 2.8

Essential skills

Reading Comprehension 4.8
Writing 4.1
Critical Thinking 4.1
Active Listening 4.0
Speaking 4.0
Active Learning 4.0
Learning Strategies 3.3
Monitoring 3.0

Knowledge

History and Archeology 4.6
English Language 4.1
Sociology and Anthropology 3.6
Geography 3.5
Administrative 3.5
Education and Training 3.3
Communications and Media 3.0
Fine Arts 2.9
Customer and Personal Service 2.9

Transferable skills

Complex Problem Solving 3.4
Social Perceptiveness 3.1
Instructing 3.1
Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
Coordination 3.0
Time Management 2.9
Persuasion 2.8

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 47.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Adobe Acrobat Document management software Hot technology In demand
ESRI ArcGIS software Geographic information system Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology In demand
Adobe InDesign Desktop publishing software Hot technology
Adobe Photoshop Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Extensible markup language XML Enterprise application integration software Hot technology
IBM SPSS Statistics Analytical or scientific software Hot technology
Microsoft Access Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP Web platform development software Hot technology
Microsoft SharePoint Document management software Hot technology
Structured query language SQL Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Adobe Dreamweaver Web page creation and editing software
Archival databases Information retrieval or search software
ArchiveGrid Information retrieval or search software
Archives Wiki Information retrieval or search software
Audio editing software Music or sound editing software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite Word processing software
Database management systems Data base management system software
Digital image collections Information retrieval or search software
Digital mapping software Map creation software
Email software Electronic mail software
Geographic information system GIS software Geographic information system
Geographic information system GIS systems Geographic information system
Google Books NGram Viewer Information retrieval or search software
Gutenberg-e Data base user interface and query software
Library of Congress digital collections Information retrieval or search software
LinkedIn Web page creation and editing software
National Archives online databases Information retrieval or search software
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) Information retrieval or search software
Page markers Internet browser software
ProQuest Archive Finder Information retrieval or search software
QuarkXPress Desktop publishing software
Reference management software Data base user interface and query software
Relational database management system RDMS Data base management system software
Scanning software Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
Searchable online catalogs Information retrieval or search software
Smithsonian Institution digital archives Information retrieval or search software

Showing the top 40 of 47.

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.

E-Mail 4.7
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 4.5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.4
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.4
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 4.3
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 4.2
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 4.1
Contact With Others 4.0
Freedom to Make Decisions 4.0
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.8
Frequency of Decision Making 3.7
Spend Time Sitting 3.6
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 3.6
Telephone Conversations 3.5
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 3.3
Time Pressure 3.2
Health and Safety of Other Workers 3.1
Conflict Situations 3.0
Written Letters and Memos 2.9
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 2.7
Public Speaking 2.6
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.6
Spend Time Standing 2.6
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 2.5
Physical Proximity 2.5
Level of Competition 2.5
Exposed to Contaminants 2.3
Spend Time Walking or Running 2.2
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled 2.2
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment 2.2
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions 2.0
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 2.0
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets 2.0
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions 1.9
Consequence of Error 1.9
Outdoors, Under Cover 1.8
Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings 1.7
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 1.6
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling 1.6
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures 1.5

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: Architecture and Related Services , Health Professions and Related Programs , History , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies . 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.

Master's Degree 64.5%
Bachelor's Degree 10.2%
Less than a High School Diploma 9.4%
Some College Courses 8.2%
Doctoral Degree 6.5%
High School Diploma 0.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate 0.5%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Interest areas

Humanities 6.8
Social Science 5.5
Creative Writing 3.2
Public Speaking 2.9
Media 2.8
Teaching/Education 2.3
Politics 2.1

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Investigative 5.3
Conventional 4.9
Artistic 3.7
Social 3.2
Realistic 2.4
Enterprising 2.4

Work styles

Dependability 4.0
Intellectual Curiosity 3.0
Attention to Detail 3.0

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$39k10th$55k25th$74kMedian$96k75th$129k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
3k20244k2034 (proj.)+2.2% · About average
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $38,630
25th percentile $55,190
Median (50th) $74,050
75th percentile $96,330
90th percentile $128,500
People employed 3,140

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 600 $75,070
Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry 230 $66,150
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector 90 $60,280
Educational Services · Sector 70 $59,520
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector $69,060

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 185.79× 230
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 2.74× 600

Part of the Education and Healthcare & Human Services career clusters.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Historians sits at the 88th percentile of AI task-overlap and the 63rd percentile of median pay, placed here against 12 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Historians Museum Technicians and Conservators Anthropologists and Archeologists Curators Social Science Research Assistants Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary History Teachers, Postsecondary Sociologists AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

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 Historians — 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.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 85th percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Historians show 88th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 300 annual U.S. openings

  • Historians rank in the 88th percentile (High 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 300 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 (+2.2%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $74,050, across about 3,140 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 45% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Historians show 88th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 300 annual U.S. openings

• Historians rank in the 88th percentile (High 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 300 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 (+2.2%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $74,050, across about 3,140 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 45% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Historians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3093-00
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.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Historians." 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-19-3093-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Historians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-3093-00

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-19-3093-00,
  title  = {Historians},
  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-19-3093-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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