Archivists Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $77K, rent takes 30.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,544/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new archivists typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,588/month. At HUD’s $1,544/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 19% above the national median — $77K here vs. $65K nationally.

Rhode Island pays $77K median vs. the U.S. average of $65K — that’s +19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 101.77), the purchasing-power equivalent is $76K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $76,990 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,140, and experienced archivists can clear $116,650. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,003/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,544/month, which eats 30.9% 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.

Rhode Island has a Regional Price Parity of 101.77 (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 $75,651 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.