PublicPay

Archivist federal salary series 1420

Full-time federal employees in the Archivist series earned a median of $118,878 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 8% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $103,795 and $133,964.

Median pay
$118,878
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$103,795–$133,964
25th–75th percentile
Employees
583
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1.6%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Archivist
All federal (full-time)

What shapes archivist pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (262 employees, median $112,657). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the National Archives and Records Administration (399 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($132,178) and lowest in Texas ($113,526), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 17% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Archivist pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Archivist pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 99 $86,966 $85,447–$96,834
GS-12 262 $112,657 $105,829–$121,742
GS-13 123 $134,464 $129,904–$146,143
GS-14 37 $163,104 $158,306–$173,899

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Archivist pay by agency

Archivist pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
National Archives and Records Administration 399 $120,629 $105,829–$135,327
Smithsonian Institution 36 $111,872 $98,980–$123,752

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Archivist pay by state

The 4 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Archivist pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Maryland 218 $121,785 $105,829–$142,084
District of Columbia 67 $122,899 $105,829–$137,009
Texas 31 $113,526 $101,127–$121,944
California 30 $132,178 $121,742–$135,657

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.6% from $117,053 in September 2025 to $118,878 in September 2026. Headcount went from 603 to 583 (−3.3%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

Related occupations in Library and Archives Group