According to the Wall Street Journal, historians have the 7th best job in America.  (Career Cast, which partnered with WSJ to do the survey, defined an historian as someone who “analyzes and records historical information from a specific era or according to a particular area of expertise.”)

To put things in perspective, here are a bunch of related jobs that the readers of AHP might have chosen as a career instead: Sociologist is #8, Philosopher is #12, Publication Editor is #31, Anthropologist is #40, Librarian is #43, School Principal (including at colleges and universities) is #48, Psychologist is #59, Technical Writer is #60, Museum Curator is #66, Author is #93, and Psychiatrist is #100.

Although being an historian is more stressful than the other top 6 jobs, it also pays less (an average of $61,000 per year). But, then again, undertakers — who also work with the dead — work longer hours in a more stressful environment for even less pay.  So it could be worse.  They rank #164.

University professor isn’t in the top 200.