Anthropologists: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Stan T.Career, Overview

Anthropologists

Anthropologists research, evaluate, and establish public policy concerning the origins of humans; their physical, social, linguistic, and cultural development; and their behavior, as well as the cultures, organizations, and institutions they have created.

Salary
$69960
Becoming One
Very Hard
Education
Master's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job description

Anthropologists research, evaluate, and establish public policy concerning the origins of humans; their physical, social, linguistic, and cultural development; and their behavior, as well as the cultures, organizations, and institutions they have created.

  • Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
  • Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
  • Teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology.
  • 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.
Read more about what does an Anthropologist really do at work and what is it like being and working as one.



Salary

Average salary
$65310 per year

Average hourly wage
$31 per hour


Anthropologists with little to no experience tend to make between $36840 and $48020 while the more experienced ones can earn over $80230 per year.

Top 5 paying states Hourly Annual
MA $44 $91,140
HI $40 $82,550
WA $36 $74,300
NE $36 $74,280
VA $35 $72,480

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as an Anthropologist is to move to a higher paying state like MA. Right now, the highest paying states for Anthropologists are MA, HI, WA, NE and VA.

However, a higher pay at MA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at MA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as an Anthropologist is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.


Requirements

Recommended degree level
Master’s degree

We asked other Anthropologists what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Master’s Degree followed by a PhD.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Human Biology
Anthropology
Physical and Biological Anthropology
Medical Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Read more about how to become an Anthropologist and the degree, training and education you need.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being an Anthropologist.

PROS
Suitable for people who likes to solve problems mentally
Suitable for people who wants independence and likes to work on their own and make decisions
Very good salary
Demand for this career is growing very fast
CONS
Not suitable for people who likes to start and carry out projects
It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience is required for this career.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week)

What is the job like

Job satisfaction
66%

Is this job meaningful
51%


66% of Anthropologists said they were satisfied with their job and 51% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.


Is this right for me

Best personality for this career
The Thinkers and The Artists

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.



Learn more about Anthropologists

Summary (You are here)
Job Description
Salary
Requirements
Quiz

Related career information

Anthropologists job description, Anthropologists salary, Anthropologists information, what is the job of an Anthropologist like, pros and cons about Anthropologists, colleges and universities for Anthropologists, is Anthropologists the right career for me, careers in Social Science and Humanities

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