Hiring and retaining a qualified workforce is essential to the success of all 59 State Historic Preservation Offices. Recognizing this, NCSHPO created a Workforce Committee committed to an in-depth examination of both internal conditions and the external forces impacting employment and staffing within State Historic Preservation Offices throughout the United States.

The primary goal of the committee was the collection, synthesis, and analysis of data focusing on the programs and professional personnel of all 59 SHPO offices. It was deemed a priority to collect data on staff vacancy rates, the lack of qualified applicants to replace a growing number of retirements, rising workloads, and salaries – and discuss how the data illuminates trends and either supports or disproves perceptions.

It is NCSHPOs intent to further this conversation by pursuing recommendations that have come out of this effort as feasible. We also hope to engage partner organizations and partner with them as appropriate to ensure the next generation of historic preservation professionals are readied for employment at SHPO offices nationwide.

• Executive Summary
• Full Report:
  • Understanding the SHPO Workforce: An Examination of Internal & External Conditions w/Recommendations for Improvement

• Appendices:
  • A. SHPO Workforce Survey 1
  • B. SHPO Workforce Survey 2
  • C. Workforce Census
  • D. SHPO Staff Survey
  • E. Educational Institution Survey
  • F. CRM Survey

A BIG THANK YOU to all the Workforce Committee members who participated in this effort!