Pay by state · 46 states
Anthropologist Salary by State (2026)
Anthropologists and Archeologists earn the most in Massachusetts at $121,300 a year and the least in Kansas at $41,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $70,770. All 46 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $121,300Massachusetts
- National median
- $70,770BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $41,870Kansas
- States reporting
- 46of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Anthropologist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of anthropologists and archeologists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAMassachusetts | $121,300 | $85,990 | $121,710 | 80 | $114,697 |
| 2 | NENebraska | $94,520 | $65,580 | $120,620 | 40 | $104,902 |
| 3 | CTConnecticut | $91,420 | $49,810 | $100,790 | N/A | $88,235 |
| 4 | AKAlaska | $89,810 | $76,000 | $108,660 | 130 | $87,740 |
| 5 | IDIdaho | $88,710 | $66,390 | $104,250 | 170 | $92,896 |
| 6 | OROregon | $84,970 | $73,920 | $105,780 | 240 | $82,207 |
| 7 | HIHawaii | $84,530 | $76,340 | $111,700 | 210 | $76,880 |
| 8 | VAVirginia | $80,230 | $61,300 | $103,960 | 320 | $79,354 |
| 9 | PAPennsylvania | $79,660 | $60,090 | $88,370 | 130 | $81,642 |
| 10 | MTMontana | $79,420 | $63,130 | $94,520 | 80 | $83,914 |
| 11 | WYWyoming | $76,400 | $63,900 | $88,790 | 80 | $82,424 |
| 12 | ALAlabama | $75,690 | $54,070 | $78,630 | 170 | $85,214 |
| 13 | WAWashington | $74,790 | $63,580 | $96,080 | 260 | $69,889 |
| 14 | UTUtah | $73,920 | $60,980 | $86,260 | 120 | $74,769 |
| 15 | NCNorth Carolina | $73,130 | $62,260 | $95,620 | 200 | $77,529 |
| 16 | CACalifornia | $72,240 | $62,620 | $87,940 | 2,060 | $65,246 |
| 17 | KYKentucky | $72,230 | $60,180 | $88,710 | 70 | $80,114 |
| 18 | OKOklahoma | $71,740 | $49,710 | $83,940 | 90 | $81,668 |
| 19 | PRPuerto Rico | $70,950 | $45,330 | $86,260 | 40 | N/A |
| 20 | COColorado | $68,620 | $54,220 | $91,560 | 250 | $66,588 |
| 21 | NMNew Mexico | $68,180 | $54,540 | $82,200 | 230 | $73,938 |
| 22 | TXTexas | $67,700 | $61,080 | $82,070 | 430 | $69,753 |
| 23 | IAIowa | $67,270 | $64,610 | $69,150 | 40 | $76,650 |
| 24 | NYNew York | $67,220 | $48,590 | $104,420 | 120 | $62,286 |
| 25 | MOMissouri | $66,930 | $65,730 | $86,260 | 80 | $73,698 |
| 26 | NJNew Jersey | $66,230 | $62,400 | $90,520 | 140 | $60,870 |
| 27 | MNMinnesota | $65,920 | $48,400 | $82,650 | 140 | $66,842 |
| 28 | AZArizona | $65,290 | $60,400 | $82,490 | 500 | $64,851 |
| 29 | MIMichigan | $64,700 | $60,440 | $67,140 | N/A | $67,244 |
| 30 | NVNevada | $64,390 | $60,080 | $82,990 | 230 | $64,404 |
| 31 | NDNorth Dakota | $63,830 | $47,160 | $75,910 | N/A | $71,752 |
| 32 | INIndiana | $63,730 | $50,230 | $76,350 | 70 | $68,285 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $63,130 | $53,870 | $83,780 | 50 | $67,339 |
| 34 | SDSouth Dakota | $63,130 | $51,860 | $79,600 | 40 | $71,264 |
| 35 | WIWisconsin | $63,130 | $52,990 | $78,210 | 40 | $67,092 |
| 36 | ARArkansas | $62,160 | $55,520 | $83,780 | 60 | $71,500 |
| 37 | NHNew Hampshire | $61,160 | $50,680 | $77,420 | 40 | $58,715 |
| 38 | TNTennessee | $60,310 | $50,490 | $76,920 | 160 | $65,647 |
| 39 | ILIllinois | $59,560 | $52,260 | $68,450 | 140 | $59,585 |
| 40 | FLFlorida | $59,270 | $52,190 | $83,060 | 620 | $57,313 |
| 41 | OHOhio | $59,160 | $48,170 | $62,250 | 70 | $63,768 |
| 42 | GAGeorgia | $58,990 | $50,550 | $75,790 | 150 | $61,261 |
| 43 | WVWest Virginia | $54,340 | $47,110 | $81,330 | 50 | $60,717 |
| 44 | MDMaryland | $54,160 | $49,050 | $84,310 | 220 | $51,601 |
| 45 | LALouisiana | $47,750 | $43,680 | $84,020 | 110 | $54,134 |
| 46 | KSKansas | $41,870 | $38,680 | $44,350 | 60 | $46,487 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Anthropologists and Archeologists, that changes the ranking: Massachusetts leads on raw pay at $121,300, while Massachusetts leads once prices are taken into account at $114,697.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Anthropologist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Anthropologists and Archeologists the most?
Massachusetts reports the highest median wage for Anthropologists and Archeologists at $121,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Nebraska ($94,520) and Connecticut ($91,420).
Which state pays Anthropologists and Archeologists the least?
Kansas reports the lowest median for Anthropologists and Archeologists at $41,870 a year, $79,430 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Anthropologists and Archeologists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Massachusetts first at $114,697 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $121,300. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.