Who Makes What. . .

Sorry to have to comment on this... I hasten to add that this is not about the person..

But as a group that has fought for archaeologists wages in the UK, and is glad to be a small part of a similar efort in teh USA.. I take great offence that it is reported that an archaeologist makes 90k a year... NO... a professor perhaps... but an archaeologist in the field.. makes on average $12-13 an hour... and thats when there is work!

and neither do we hunt for treasure, we careful sift evidence in conditions that most people would give up... we are poorly paid professionals, providing a service and more to all people.. we are not paid 90,000... we don't hunt treasure...

I am happy for the Prof that does... but he does not represent the vast majority of the men and women who uncover your past.

Wow $90,000+ a year as an archaeologist. That is, frankly, unbelievable and misleading with respect to anyone interested in becoming an archaeologist. I think a far more accurate portayal of this particular salary and field of expertise is more aptly associated with a professorial career. In this case, a professor of anthropology, however, the range could just as easily suit other fields of education.

Some of the top dollar jobs in the field of archaeology within San Diego range from $15.00 to $18.00 per hour for field technicians (sans per-diem). This equates to roughly $37,000 per year (at the upper end), with the caveat that the archaeologist is going to be employed full-time for an entire year (2080 hours); another unlikely scenario as archaeology is generally contract/project specific. This is the wage range that most undergraduate degree holding archaeologists can hope for upon entering the workforce. Certainly advanced degreed professional archaeologists will earn more (myself in the $50,000-$55,000/year range with 10 years paid experience, that does not go far in California). I have yet to run into any professional archaeologist earning the range that the Professor does.

Lastly, no self-respecting archaeologist hunts treasure. I will forgive this slip of the tongue and chalk it up to a bad choice of words on the professor's part. I would assume he is not educating and training a crop of treasure hunters, but rather anthropological scientists specializing in the subdiscipline of archaeology.

A colleague has let us know that, according to the April 2008 issue of SDM, archaeologists earn more than $90,000 per annum. This is rather shocking news to those of us who work in this field, many of us for a number of decades, and none of whom have earned that kind of dosh. Without a doubt a few, well positioned, "archaeologists" earn that sort of wage, but as they mainly do not conduct actual fieldwork, or manage field personnel, or execute special studies, it can hardly be said that they are actual archaeologists. For a clearer picture of the state of the field archaeologist pay and conditions please browse through these fora on Archaeologyfieldwork.com (http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2672; http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1898; http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2978; http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3108; http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2471). Perhaps it would be possible for your magazine to interview some of us to round out your portrait of the archaeologist. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

And incidentally, we do not hunt for treasure, we conduct science-based investigations, and provide our clients with sound legal advice.

Respectfully,
Richard D. Shultz

While most archaeologists don't make 90K a year, many government archaeological jobs are offering between 70-100K. And while these high earning jobs might not be strictly field jobs the people who fill these positions are still VERY MUCH archaeologists. Mr. Shultz you sound a bit bitter.

In San Diego County the lowest wage a starting archaeological technician, who only has a BA and no real field experience, will make is $17.17 an hour (AGAIN this is STARTING, not the top dollar job someone else posted about). However if your goal is to become a professional archaeologists it is highly recommended that you get an advanced degree, as the earning potential increases exponentially.

Also if you own your own company the potential for earning is much higher than if you work for someone else. The same is true with most of the jobs listed in this article. So to the people who are posting about this being misleading you need to get your facts straight, remember to look at the situation (it does list this guy as a professor, not a contract-to-contract shovel bum), and stop trying to discourage people due to your lack of success.

Finally if you are competent and hard working employee, even on a contract-to-contract basis, there is almost always some work in Southern California. You might not be with one company, but that's part of the contract-to-contract game. In my over 10 years of field work I have never been out of work for more than 2 weeks in a given year. Perhaps I'm lucky, but I feel it's more due to me busting my ass, and staying on top of other archaeology jobs when a contract is almost complete.

Dear Editor and Magazine Staff:
It has been recently been reported in your April 2008 issue of salaries for various professionals. I note in particular the following:
Seth Mallios
Professor and chair of anthropology,
San Diego State University
$90,000-$100,000

...“Finding treasure! I’m an archaeologist who gets to unearth San Diego’s rich and dynamic history and then teach students about everything I find. Whether locating forgotten murals, unearthing Palomar Mountain legend Nate Harrison’s old smoking pipe, rediscovering cemeteries that vanished long ago or digging up a 100-year-old toothbrush in the Whaley House well, nothing beats the thrill of unearthing the past.”
Though one cannot object to a professor who imbues enthusiasm to their students for the subject matter they teach, one can question the issue of an anthropology professor labeling cultural materials as 'finding treasure'. That implies an economic value to objects and sites that a working archaeologist would object to and an indigenous person may find offensive.
Those who devote hours of time in the field conducting scientific investigation in archaeology, who hike rugged landscapes in 100-plus degree temperatures, pouring rains and hail, who spend years actively study the cultural practices, materials and landscapes of indigenous peoples are paid less than most professionals, even those archaeologists with advanced degrees. As your article indicates government employees make considerably more money than those in the private sector in most instances.
Though Mellios may make a six-figure salary, please note that this misleads people to believe that archaeologists make this kind of money. Professors obviously do but working everyday field archaeologists who day after day produce quality work and publications with little public acknowledgment nor kudos make nowhere near this amount. There is a wide gap between academics and those of us in the trenches.

Peer,

If that post represents the factual knowledge that you possess and have diligently researched on a topic such as this then I fear having to review one of your reports concerning an archaeological investigation.

The chart in the link provided (see: http://www.fedjobs.com/pay/pay.html) clearly defines pay grades for federal employees. Only at Step 10 of GS-11 does one begin to break into the $70,000 and above range (base pay plus adjustments of 13.18%). Field tech archaeologists generally are staffed at GS-03, GS-04, GS-05 or GS-07 levels, while middle management is generally staffed at GS-09 and GS-11. Upper management will be staffed at GS-12 and above.

Recent position announcements on USAJobs for archaeologist include:
GS-0102-03/07 9.78+ /hr
GS-0102-04/07 10.97+/hr
GS-0102-05/07 12.26+/hr
GS-0102-05 14.24 /hr
GS-0193-07/11 36,822.00+ (multiple listings)
GS/YA-0193-02 43,731.00+ (multiple listings)
YA-0193-2/2 45,039.00+
GS-0193-09/12 45,040.00+ (multiple listings)
YA-0193-2/2 47,400.00+
GS-0193-09/09 48,108.00+
GS-0193-09/09 49,847.00+
GS-0193-12/12 65,315.00+

Recent Caltrans Associate Planner position:
Title: Associate Environmental Planner (Archeology)
Salary: $4,619.00 - $5,616.00 (monthly)

Recent position announcements for California State Archaeologists on archaeologyfieldwork.com include:

Assistant State Archeologist $2817.00 - $3193.00 monthly, Associate State Archeologist $4409.00 - $5318.00, and Senior State Archeologist $5199.00 - $6275.00. These positions are located in Sacramento, and are review, not fieldwork, positions (italics mine).

A recent CA Department of Parks and Recreation position announcements was advertising for:
“Two seasonal archaeologist positions available at California Department of Parks and Recreation Southern Service Center (San Diego). The salary range is from $10 to over $15 per hour, depending upon experience and education. There are no relocation costs or housing associated with these positions. These positions do not come with benefits.” These are fieldwork positions, not review.

So you see, “many government archaeological jobs” are not “offering between 70-100K,” and the STARTING wage for an archaeologist in San Diego can be well below $17.17 per hour. So, please continue wearing those rose-tinted sunglasses while digging your STP, encouraging all the tyros by explaining how well paid the profession is, and I’ll continue to illustrate the realities of the business to those that are willing to pay attention. By the way Peer, when you have spent some time working with me, and know me, then you can comment about ME, until then stick to the topic at hand: The poor use of a single example as a proxy to illustrate the conditions of the entire field, and the inappropriate propagation of myths about the profession.

RDS

"Finding treasure," was an unfortunate choice of words, and anyone who knows Dr. Mallios would understand that the word treasure was a reference to the importance he places on the artifacts and information produced by his projects. Rarely do I meet indivduals whom I respect as much as Dr. Mallios. His enthusiasm, integrity, and professionalism are to be admired. While Dr. Mallios is definitly the centerpiece of his projects, he never fails to give full credit to his staff and the students under his direction. Given the egos that roam the acedemic world, I find this very refreshing. You don't have to be around archaeology long to realize that no one is getting rich digging holes in the ground. Like most professions, unless money is your first love, you better love what you do.
Respectfully,
David Lewis