Archivists Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 37.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,960/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new archivists typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,019/month. At HUD’s $1,960/month FMR, rent would take 65% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 21% above the national median — $78K here vs. $65K nationally.

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $65K — that’s +21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $77,990 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,320, and experienced archivists can clear $100,510. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,271/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,960/month, which eats 37.2% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has a Regional Price Parity of 103.67 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median archivists salary is worth about $75,229 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.