Historians
SOC Code: 19-3093
Historians carries a 46% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $74,050 and +2.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 3,400 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 46% AI exposure, Historians sits 9 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 82% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
46/100
Historians, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage B $74,050
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +2.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 46% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Historians in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Graduate credential among the thinner entry shelves
Historians is in the Graduate band (113 of 832) with BLS pace Average (378/832). Graduate entry is a minority shelf - pairing it with average growth is the standing that separates this SOC from bachelor-dominated neighbors.
Where Historians sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Historians sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
46% Higher than most higher than 82% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Historians vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Historians is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Historians's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 19-3093) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Historians be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Historians. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
- 2. Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
- 3. Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
- 4. Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
- 5. Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
- 6. Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
- 7. Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
- 8. Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
- 9. Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
- 10. Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Complex Problem Solving
- Learning Strategies
- Social Perceptiveness
- Instructing
Knowledge Areas
- History and Archeology
- English Language
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Geography
- Administrative
- Education and Training
- Communications and Media
- Fine Arts
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Historians?
Historians has an AI exposure score of 46%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Historians?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Historians is projected to grow by 2.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 3,400 workers.
What skills are needed for Historians?
Key skills for Historians include Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Master's degree.
How much do Historians earn?
The median annual wage for Historians is $74,050, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Historians?
The typical entry-level education for Historians is Master's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Historians?
Historians roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Historians: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (46% here).
- Administrative services managers · AI exposure 46%
- Conservation scientists · AI exposure 46%
- Dental assistants · AI exposure 46%
- Economists · AI exposure 46%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.2% here).
- Chemistry teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.2%
- Law teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.2%
- Slaughterers and meat packers · growth +2.2%
- Stationary engineers and boiler operators · growth +2.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 13 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Historians' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Historians side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).