Curators salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,470 | $19.46 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $63,420 | $30.49 |
| Mean (average) | $71,560 | $34.40 |
| 90th percentile | $107,140 | $51.51 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Curators pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 49 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $61,120 | $40,800 | $98,470 | 150 | 0.92 |
| Alaska | $63,880 | $53,920 | $105,870 | 90 | 3.43 |
| Arizona | $63,510 | $36,490 | $102,800 | 150 | 0.58 |
| Arkansas | $53,870 | $42,550 | $98,120 | 80 | 0.81 |
| California | $78,740 | $53,390 | $125,670 | 1,140 | 0.8 |
| Colorado | $73,630 | $51,940 | $104,530 | 300 | 1.32 |
| Connecticut | $76,510 | $46,980 | $127,510 | 190 | 1.41 |
| Delaware | $56,800 | $41,880 | $89,440 | 60 | 1.6 |
| District of Columbia | $93,310 | $62,530 | $161,380 | 140 | 2.62 |
| Florida | $59,500 | $37,880 | $107,000 | 420 | 0.54 |
| Georgia | $57,810 | $38,590 | $96,820 | 230 | 0.61 |
| Hawaii | $50,720 | $40,640 | $100,300 | 140 | 2.86 |
| Idaho | $62,190 | $40,170 | $76,400 | 50 | 0.81 |
| Illinois | $63,060 | $36,490 | $107,990 | 410 | 0.86 |
| Indiana | $53,910 | $41,510 | $84,450 | 220 | 0.89 |
| Iowa | $53,830 | $31,910 | $89,780 | 230 | 1.9 |
| Kansas | $56,630 | $30,160 | $88,880 | 120 | 1.03 |
| Kentucky | $55,460 | $34,420 | $82,400 | 130 | 0.8 |
| Louisiana | $60,080 | $36,030 | $101,700 | 160 | 1.04 |
| Maine | $56,470 | $40,100 | $80,110 | 110 | 2.1 |
| Maryland | $63,750 | $51,860 | $102,260 | 170 | 0.77 |
| Massachusetts | $77,790 | $41,310 | $130,480 | 370 | 1.32 |
| Michigan | $63,190 | $36,440 | $105,970 | 360 | 1.03 |
| Minnesota | $53,920 | $33,280 | $90,670 | 220 | 0.95 |
| Mississippi | $40,600 | $27,680 | $63,130 | 30 | 0.34 |
| Missouri | $59,960 | $36,790 | $102,850 | 260 | 1.12 |
| Montana | $54,460 | $37,760 | $88,910 | 100 | 2.45 |
| Nebraska | $58,600 | $37,320 | $86,880 | 120 | 1.52 |
| Nevada | $69,900 | $43,010 | $96,850 | 100 | 0.8 |
| New Hampshire | $82,490 | $44,620 | $121,030 | 60 | 1.1 |
| New Jersey | $77,800 | $48,870 | $114,880 | 120 | 0.36 |
| New Mexico | $63,690 | $50,350 | $74,960 | 140 | 2.12 |
| New York | $79,120 | $46,060 | $148,580 | 1,330 | 1.76 |
| North Carolina | $49,470 | $42,240 | $76,890 | 600 | 1.56 |
| Ohio | $63,640 | $33,280 | $102,610 | 370 | 0.84 |
| Oklahoma | $60,560 | $39,040 | $101,970 | 150 | 1.1 |
| Oregon | $62,790 | $43,100 | $103,880 | 260 | 1.69 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,100 | $44,930 | $101,490 | 520 | 1.1 |
| Rhode Island | $77,930 | $46,740 | $108,900 | 70 | 1.87 |
| South Carolina | $47,200 | $35,800 | $78,430 | 120 | 0.67 |
| South Dakota | $74,990 | $49,740 | $98,490 | 50 | 1.34 |
| Tennessee | $57,580 | $32,960 | $89,130 | 190 | 0.75 |
| Texas | $59,990 | $43,040 | $93,860 | 690 | 0.63 |
| Utah | $59,910 | $39,870 | $80,790 | 50 | 0.38 |
| Vermont | $56,520 | $36,810 | $78,210 | 60 | 2.66 |
| Virginia | $58,200 | $38,550 | $107,910 | 450 | 1.41 |
| Washington | $74,030 | $45,720 | $119,220 | 260 | 0.93 |
| Wisconsin | $64,370 | $43,210 | $91,220 | 300 | 1.3 |
| Wyoming | $61,910 | $36,690 | $82,430 | 90 | 4.03 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for curators
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 1,600. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 8.8%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for curators
- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Museology/Museum Studies CIP 30.1401
- Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, General CIP 30.5201
- Digital Humanities CIP 30.5202
- Textual Studies CIP 30.5203
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation CIP 50.0703
- Public/Applied History CIP 54.0105
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
- Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
- Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
- Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
- Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
- Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
- Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
- Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
Technology skills
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft Outlook (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Facebook (hot technology)
- Linux (hot technology)
- Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Microsoft Visual Studio (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Systems Analysis, Social Perceptiveness, Systems Evaluation, Coordination.
Common job titles: Collections Curator, Collections Manager, Curator, Education Curator, Exhibitions Curator, Exhibits Curator, Museum Curator, Photography Curator, Vertebrate Zoology Curator.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do curators make?
The national median annual wage for curators was $63,420 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $40,470 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $107,140. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do curators need?
BLS lists master's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is curators a growing career?
BLS projects employment of curators to change +4.9% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 1,600 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay curators the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were District of Columbia ($93,310), New Hampshire ($82,490), New York ($79,120). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.