Historians · SOC 19-3093

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Historianss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for historians. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 20 of 20 metro areas

Historians: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$121,710	Not published	Not published
2	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$116,520	40	0.0
3	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$115,690	410	0.1
4	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	$101,900	40	0.0
5	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$98,210	50	0.0
6	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$97,420	40	0.0
7	Urban Honolulu, HI	$95,470	70	0.1
8	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$89,670	Not published	Not published
9	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$88,790	50	0.0
10	New Orleans-Metairie, LA	$82,400	40	0.1
11	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$81,470	40	0.0
12	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$80,400	180	0.0
13	Montgomery, AL	$76,400	30	0.2
14	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	$68,010	40	0.1
15	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$61,640	60	0.0
16	Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH	$58,640	30	0.1
17	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$48,610	60	0.1
18	Rochester, NY	$46,630	40	0.1
19	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$45,530	30	0.0
20	Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$33,840	80	0.1

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Historians overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.