Career Explorer Science
Grows with AI
Anthropologists and archeologists
Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 44% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by +6.0% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on creative vision and emotional intelligence.
AI can help with many of the tasks, and demand is still growing. Being fluent with AI is the edge here.
- Median pay (2025)
- $70,770
- Job growth to 2035
- +6.0%
- Openings a year
- 800
- People doing it (2025)
- 10,200
- Usual route in
- Master's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Research historical or social issues
- Present research or technical information
- Teach academic or vocational subjects
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Direct scientific or technical activities
- Collect information about patients or clients
- Train others on operational or work procedures
What the work looks like
- Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
- Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
- Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
- Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.
- Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Landscape architectsGrows with AI, Index 58, +4.4%
- Conservation scientistsGrows with AI, Index 65, +5.3%
- LogisticiansGrows with AI, Index 60, +17.6%
- EpidemiologistsGrows with AI, Index 65, +18.7%
Also known as: Archaeologist, Communication and Folklore Specialist, Forensic Anthropologist, Researcher, American Indian Policy Specialist, Applied Anthropologist, Applied Cultural Anthropologist, Historical Archaeologist.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.