Archaeological Technician pay range
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania · class code 26445
- Class code
- 26445
- Pay scale group
- ST 04
- Pay unit
- Year
- Bargaining unit
- B1
- State
- Pennsylvania
- The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania published pay range for Archaeological Technician is $41,506 to $61,927 per year.
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Administration keys this classification as class code 26445.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Class specification
The Commonwealth job specification for this class is published by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Administration. The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications. It was last revised 08/17/1997.
What the state says the job is
This is technical work assisting in all aspects of archaeological field investigations. An employee in this class assists a Curator, Historic Preservation Specialist, or Historic Preservation Supervisor with preparing, conducting, and analyzing the results of archaeological investigations. Specific field duties include preparing profile drawings, sketch maps, photographs, and surveys; obtaining artifacts through surface collection and hand excavation; and conducting a preliminary identification of artifacts. In the laboratory, duties entail washing and marking artifacts, conducting secondary lithic and ceramic artifact identification and analysis, computer coding and entry of artifact data, and producing maps, charts, graphs, and drawings of the artifacts and the archaeological site. Work may include the preparation of collections for further specialized analysis and curation.
Examples of the work
Excavate shovel test pits and larger excavation units in all types of soil, using normal archaeological field tools and equipment. Take accurate readings and measurements using tapes, compasses, levels, Munsell Soil Color Charts, and other common measuring devices. Conduct controlled surface collections of artifacts from plowed fields. Interpret soil profiles and identify subsurface soil horizons and natural/cultural features. Properly extract soil, feature, and carbon samples for detailed analysis. Identify and quantify lithic, ceramic, glass, and metal artifacts from typical Middle Atlantic or Eastern North American sites.
Minimum qualifications
Six months field experience on an archaeological excavation, or Completion of a university sponsored archaeology field school of at least eight weeks duration that includes field and laboratory experience, and nine credit hours of course work in archaeology, anthropology, or a related subject.
Quoted from the Commonwealth job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Administration publishes this figure in Classification and Pay Plan (online, current annual salary ranges). Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The Commonwealth also links this class code to its own job title and specification. That page is the official description of the classification; this page publishes its pay range.
The listed pay scale is available in the Commonwealth's current ST schedule.
Nearby classes in Pennsylvania
Archaeological Technician in other states
| State | Minimum | Maximum | Per year at full time |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $37,377 | $65,408 | $37,377 to $65,408 |
Each state publishes its own range for a classification with this exact title. Duties, grade structures and bargaining units differ between states, so read each class page before comparing.