Anthropologists and Archeologists
Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.
8,990 people do this job in the US. $70,770 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 37%
- 35%
- 28%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 1%. Today's estimate: 2%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 30 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 20% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 9% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | 2%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | 2%Half by May 2028 | |
| Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Sep 2028 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).