Best states for a Curator

Q: What is the best state for curators?

The best state to be a curator is New Hampshire based on curator salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for curators?

The highest paying state for curators is Wyoming based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for curators?

The worst state for curators is Hawaii, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
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Curator opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for curators, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for curators.As curators are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for curators. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a curator, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

In order to get you the best states for curators, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that New Hampshire is the best state for curator jobs, whereas Hawaii is the worst.

10 best states for curators in 2025

1. New Hampshire
Total Curator Jobs: 2
Average Annual Salary: $58,077
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
2.38
Curator Jobs in New Hampshire
2. Virginia
Total Curator Jobs: 14
Average Annual Salary: $57,702
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
3.1
Curator Jobs in Virginia
3. District of Columbia
Total Curator Jobs: 4
Average Annual Salary: $60,036
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
4.97
Curator Jobs in District of Columbia
4. Connecticut
Total Curator Jobs: 3
Average Annual Salary: $57,446
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
1.89
Curator Jobs in Connecticut
5. Rhode Island
Total Curator Jobs: 0
Average Annual Salary: $61,499
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $109,000
Location Quotient:
0
Curator Jobs in Rhode Island
6. Alaska
Total Curator Jobs: 0
Average Annual Salary: $65,211
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $39,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
0
Curator Jobs in Alaska
7. California
Total Curator Jobs: 20
Average Annual Salary: $60,249
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $108,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Curator Jobs in California
8. Delaware
Total Curator Jobs: 0
Average Annual Salary: $62,251
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $110,000
Location Quotient:
0
Curator Jobs in Delaware
9. Pennsylvania
Total Curator Jobs: 3
Average Annual Salary: $56,866
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
0.54
Curator Jobs in Pennsylvania
10. Missouri
Total Curator Jobs: 3
Average Annual Salary: $53,810
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Curator Jobs in Missouri

Curator JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a curator

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a curator

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	New Hampshire	$58,077	$33,000	1,342,795	2
2	Virginia	$57,702	$32,000	8,470,020	14
3	District of Columbia	$60,036	$33,000	693,972	4
4	Connecticut	$57,446	$32,000	3,588,184	3
5	Rhode Island	$61,499	$34,000	1,059,639	0
6	Alaska	$65,211	$39,000	739,795	0
7	California	$60,249	$33,000	39,536,653	20
8	Delaware	$62,251	$34,000	961,939	0
9	Pennsylvania	$56,866	$32,000	12,805,537	3
10	Missouri	$53,810	$32,000	6,113,532	3
11	Ohio	$52,241	$30,000	11,658,609	3
12	Texas	$52,273	$30,000	28,304,596	7
13	West Virginia	$53,316	$30,000	1,815,857	0
14	Maine	$51,085	$29,000	1,335,907	1
15	Nevada	$55,434	$30,000	2,998,039	0
16	Oregon	$52,969	$30,000	4,142,776	2
17	North Dakota	$54,298	$35,000	755,393	0
18	Wisconsin	$52,322	$32,000	5,795,483	1
19	New York	$52,738	$29,000	19,849,399	11
20	Nebraska	$47,100	$28,000	1,920,076	3
21	Arizona	$50,540	$28,000	7,016,270	1
22	Kentucky	$47,358	$28,000	4,454,189	2
23	Maryland	$49,636	$28,000	6,052,177	8
24	Massachusetts	$48,956	$27,000	6,859,819	9
25	Indiana	$48,664	$29,000	6,666,818	0
26	Illinois	$48,949	$29,000	12,802,023	6
27	Washington	$48,465	$28,000	7,405,743	5
28	Minnesota	$49,869	$31,000	5,576,606	0
29	Oklahoma	$45,268	$27,000	3,930,864	2
30	Vermont	$48,458	$27,000	623,657	0
31	Tennessee	$45,435	$27,000	6,715,984	0
32	New Mexico	$43,865	$25,000	2,088,070	2
33	Utah	$45,879	$26,000	3,101,833	0
34	Colorado	$44,380	$26,000	5,607,154	4
35	New Jersey	$47,516	$26,000	9,005,644	1
36	Mississippi	$44,140	$26,000	2,984,100	0
37	Kansas	$43,679	$26,000	2,913,123	0
38	Alabama	$39,843	$24,000	4,874,747	4
39	Idaho	$44,845	$25,000	1,716,943	0
40	Michigan	$43,070	$25,000	9,962,311	1
41	Georgia	$44,002	$26,000	10,429,379	0
42	South Dakota	$41,471	$26,000	869,666	0
43	Iowa	$41,975	$25,000	3,145,711	1
44	Wyoming	$34,037	$20,000	579,315	2
45	Arkansas	$38,591	$23,000	3,004,279	1
46	Montana	$40,207	$24,000	1,050,493	0
47	Florida	$37,541	$23,000	20,984,400	7
48	North Carolina	$37,675	$22,000	10,273,419	3
49	Louisiana	$38,485	$22,000	4,684,333	0
50	South Carolina	$36,331	$21,000	5,024,369	1
51	Hawaii	$34,044	$24,000	1,427,538	0

Highest paying states for curators

Rank	State	Avg. Curator Salary
1	New Hampshire	$58,077
2	Virginia	$57,702
3	District of Columbia	$60,036
4	Connecticut	$57,446
5	Rhode Island	$61,499
6	Alaska	$65,211
7	California	$60,249
8	Delaware	$62,251
9	Pennsylvania	$56,866
10	Missouri	$53,810
11	Ohio	$52,241
12	Texas	$52,273
13	West Virginia	$53,316
14	Maine	$51,085
15	Nevada	$55,434
16	Oregon	$52,969
17	North Dakota	$54,298
18	Wisconsin	$52,322
19	New York	$52,738
20	Nebraska	$47,100
21	Arizona	$50,540
22	Kentucky	$47,358
23	Maryland	$49,636
24	Massachusetts	$48,956
25	Indiana	$48,664
26	Illinois	$48,949
27	Washington	$48,465
28	Minnesota	$49,869
29	Oklahoma	$45,268
30	Vermont	$48,458
31	Tennessee	$45,435
32	New Mexico	$43,865
33	Utah	$45,879
34	Colorado	$44,380
35	New Jersey	$47,516
36	Mississippi	$44,140
37	Kansas	$43,679
38	Alabama	$39,843
39	Idaho	$44,845
40	Michigan	$43,070
41	Georgia	$44,002
42	South Dakota	$41,471
43	Iowa	$41,975
44	Wyoming	$34,037
45	Arkansas	$38,591
46	Montana	$40,207
47	Florida	$37,541
48	North Carolina	$37,675
49	Louisiana	$38,485
50	South Carolina	$36,331
51	Hawaii	$34,044

Curator best states FAQs

What is the best state for curators?

What is the highest paying state for curators?

What is the worst state for curators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.

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Best states for Curators

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Curator Jobs:	2
Average Annual Salary:	$58,077
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$33,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$101,000
Location Quotient:	2.38

Best states for a Curator

10 best states for curators in 2025

1. New Hampshire

2. Virginia

3. District of Columbia

4. Connecticut

5. Rhode Island

6. Alaska

7. California

8. Delaware

9. Pennsylvania

10. Missouri