Archivist

What the Numbers Say About Archivist

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Archivist occupation (OPM code 1420): 624 people, headcount up 6.1% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Archivist pays $112,483 per year on average, 2.4% above the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 1.5% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 13.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Library and Archives Group family (code 14) groups Archivist together with 4 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Archivist postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Inside the Library and Archives Group family (5 occupations, 3,964 employees combined), Archivist holds the #4 spot by headcount, a 15.7% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (40th percentile) of pay among Library and Archives Group occupations.