Researches and tells the history of a company or organization for anniversaries, leadership, marketing and internal culture. BLS does not publish separate figures for historians; it counts them within historian (SOC 19-3093), whose median pay is $76,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
- SOC 19-3093
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Corporate Historian in four numbers
- Median pay
- $76,750a year, or $36.90/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $43KTop 10% $132K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.0%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 3003,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20253.8K
- Projected 20353.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 3.8K Projected 2035 3.9K - Typical education
- Master'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school9.4%
- High school0.8%
- Some college8.2%
- Bachelor's10.2%
- Master's64.5%
- Doctorate6.5%
Highest education held by historians Segment Value Less than high school 9.4% High school 0.8% Some college 8.2% Bachelor's 10.2% Master's 64.5% Doctorate 6.5%
Also advertised as: Company Historian, Business Historian, Heritage Manager, Brand Historian, Historical Content Strategist.
Pay
How much do Historians make?
Every corporate historian in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$76,750
Middle half earn $57,290 to $99,990
- 10th
- $42,730
- 25th
- $57,290
- 75th
- $99,990
- 90th
- $131,810
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $42,730 |
| 25th | $57,290 |
| Median | $76,750 |
| 75th | $99,990 |
| 90th | $131,810 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $76,750
- Median hourly wage
- $36.90/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $81,240
- People employed
- 3,450
Versus all US occupations
At $76,750, Historians earn 51% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $25,770 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 7% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $131,810 or more while the bottom 10% earn $42,730, a gap of 3.1×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 53% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Massachusetts pays the most at $121,710, and still leads at $115,085 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Historians the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Massachusetts | $121,710 | $115,085 | N/A |
| 2Maryland | $120,580 | $114,883 | 50 |
| 3District of Columbia | $118,290 | $107,633 | 250 |
| 4Minnesota | $103,040 | $104,481 | 50 |
| 5Virginia | $101,920 | $100,807 | 180 |
| 6Washington | $99,720 | $93,185 | 30 |
| 7Oregon | $99,560 | $96,323 | 40 |
| 8California | $97,420 | $87,988 | 210 |
| 9Hawaii | $92,520 | $84,147 | 70 |
| 10Illinois | $89,670 | $89,708 | N/A |
Job outlook
Is Corporate Historian a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Historians | +3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Historians to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 300 openings are projected each year, 7.9% of the 3,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Corporate Historian
Most corporate historians have a master's degree or PhD in history, often with a focus on business, economic or public history. Strong writing and interviewing skills are essential, and experience with archives is a major advantage.
The National Council on Public History and the Business History Conference connect historians working outside universities. History consulting firms such as History Factory hire historians, researchers and writers, and these firms are a common entry point. Others move into the field from journalism, museum work or corporate archives. A portfolio of published research or historical content helps when applying.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as historians.
- Master's Degree64.5%
- Bachelor's Degree10.2%
- Less than a High School Diploma9.4%
- Some College Courses8.2%
- Doctoral Degree6.5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 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% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Corporate Historian do?
Corporate historians research and write the history of businesses and organizations. They dig into company archives, interview retired executives and longtime employees, and turn what they find into anniversary books, timelines, exhibits, videos and websites. Companies use this history to explain their values, onboard employees, support marketing and give leaders context for big decisions.
Some corporate historians work in-house alongside archivists. Many work for history consulting firms that serve several clients at once, running projects such as a centennial program for a manufacturer or a history of a hospital system. The work also involves helping organizations handle difficult parts of their past honestly, such as ties to slavery or wartime practices.
Day-to-day tasks
- Research company archives, records and published sources
- Interview executives, retirees and employees about company history
- Write anniversary books, timelines and historical narratives
- Develop exhibits, videos and web content about an organization's past
- Advise leaders on how history can inform current decisions
- Fact-check historical claims in marketing materials
- Help organizations address difficult chapters of their past
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Corporate historians work at company headquarters or for consulting firms, often with hybrid or remote schedules. Time is split between archival research, interviews, writing and client meetings. Some travel to client archives and facilities is common. Deadlines tied to anniversaries and product launches create busy periods.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes are not usually serious.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.8
- Writing4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Learning Strategies3.3
- Monitoring3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Instructing3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Time Management2.9
- Persuasion2.8
- Negotiation2.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Negotiation | 2.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Corporate Historian?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IAE) built on O*NET's Historian profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Corporate Historian |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Investigative5.5
- Conventional4.7
- Artistic4.2
- Social3.2
- Enterprising3.1
- Realistic2.4
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Corporate Historian
O*NET related occupations
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with historians highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Chemist$91,240
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Corporate Historian$76,750
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Corporate Historian | $76,750 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Corporate Historian appears on
Questions
Corporate Historian: frequently asked questions
How much do Historians make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for historians. It counts them within historian, whose median pay is $76,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $57,290 and $99,990, and the top 10% earn $131,810 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Corporate Historian?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Historians, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 64.5% hold master's degree.
Is Corporate Historian a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Corporate Historian do?
Corporate historians research and write the history of businesses and organizations. A typical task: research company archives, records and published sources. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Data base user interface and query software, Desktop publishing software.
Which states pay Historians the most?
The highest state medians for Historians are Massachusetts ($121,710), Maryland ($120,580), District of Columbia ($118,290) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Corporate Historian?
O*NET scores Historians highest on the Investigative, Conventional and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with INTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.