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Curator salary
Average curator salary
$47,923
How much does a curator make?
The average curator salary in the United States is $47,923. Curator salaries typically range between $26,000 and $85,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for curators is $23.04 per hour.
Curator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Curators earn the highest average salary in Alaska.
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Where can a Curator earn more?
Curator salary estimates from across the web
Average curator salary by state
Highest paying states for curators
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $58,077 | $27.92 |
| 2 | Virginia | $57,702 | $27.74 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $60,036 | $28.86 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $57,446 | $27.62 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $61,499 | $29.57 |
| 6 | Alaska | $65,211 | $31.35 |
| 7 | California | $60,249 | $28.97 |
| 8 | Delaware | $62,251 | $29.93 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $56,866 | $27.34 |
| 10 | Missouri | $53,810 | $25.87 |
| 11 | Ohio | $52,241 | $25.12 |
| 12 | Texas | $52,273 | $25.13 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $53,316 | $25.63 |
| 14 | Maine | $51,085 | $24.56 |
| 15 | Nevada | $55,434 | $26.65 |
| 16 | Oregon | $52,969 | $25.47 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $54,298 | $26.10 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $52,322 | $25.15 |
| 19 | New York | $52,738 | $25.35 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $47,100 | $22.64 |
| 21 | Arizona | $50,540 | $24.30 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $47,358 | $22.77 |
| 23 | Maryland | $49,636 | $23.86 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $48,956 | $23.54 |
| 25 | Indiana | $48,664 | $23.40 |
| 26 | Illinois | $48,949 | $23.53 |
| 27 | Washington | $48,465 | $23.30 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $49,869 | $23.98 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $45,268 | $21.76 |
| 30 | Vermont | $48,458 | $23.30 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $45,435 | $21.84 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $43,865 | $21.09 |
| 33 | Utah | $45,879 | $22.06 |
| 34 | Colorado | $44,380 | $21.34 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $47,516 | $22.84 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $44,140 | $21.22 |
| 37 | Kansas | $43,679 | $21.00 |
| 38 | Alabama | $39,843 | $19.16 |
| 39 | Idaho | $44,845 | $21.56 |
| 40 | Michigan | $43,070 | $20.71 |
| 41 | Georgia | $44,002 | $21.15 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $41,471 | $19.94 |
| 43 | Iowa | $41,975 | $20.18 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $34,037 | $16.36 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $38,591 | $18.55 |
| 46 | Montana | $40,207 | $19.33 |
| 47 | Florida | $37,541 | $18.05 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $37,675 | $18.11 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $38,485 | $18.50 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $36,331 | $17.47 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $34,044 | $16.37 |
Highest paying cities for curators
The highest-paying cities for curators are San Francisco, CA, New Haven, CT, and Philadelphia, PA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $63,752 | $30.65 |
| 2 | New Haven, CT | $57,577 | $27.68 |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA | $57,236 | $27.52 |
| 4 | Cleveland, OH | $55,560 | $26.71 |
| 5 | Saint Louis, MO | $54,546 | $26.22 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $53,171 | $25.56 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $52,741 | $25.36 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $50,649 | $24.35 |
| 9 | Minneapolis, MN | $49,855 | $23.97 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $49,306 | $23.70 |
| 11 | Bethesda, MD | $49,110 | $23.61 |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $48,899 | $23.51 |
| 13 | Boston, MA | $48,700 | $23.41 |
| 14 | Hackensack, NJ | $47,583 | $22.88 |
| 15 | Gallatin, TN | $46,001 | $22.12 |
| 16 | Eagle Mountain, UT | $45,813 | $22.03 |
| 17 | Loveland, CO | $44,277 | $21.29 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $44,147 | $21.22 |
| 19 | Albuquerque, NM | $43,861 | $21.09 |
| 20 | Ann Arbor, MI | $42,611 | $20.49 |
Curator salary details
A curator's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $85,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a curator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 75th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
| Average | $47,923 | $3,994 | $23 |
| 25th Percentile | $35,000 | $2,917 | $17 |
| 10th Percentile | $26,000 | $2,167 | $13 |
Highest paying curator jobs
The highest paying types of curators are museum director, director of exhibits, and ancient art curator.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum Curator | $44,309 | $3,692 | $21.30 | 413 |
Which companies pay curators the most?
Curator salaries at Apple and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average curator salary at companies like Natera and Avid are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $140,339 | $67.47 |
| 2 | Meta | $129,671 | $62.34 |
| 3 | Natera | $122,195 | $58.75 |
| 4 | Avid | $112,696 | $54.18 |
| 5 | Adobe | $109,479 | $52.63 |
| 6 | The Art Institute of Chicago | $102,930 | $49.49 |
| 7 | Corning Museum of Glass | $99,907 | $48.03 |
| 8 | Intel | $97,949 | $47.09 |
| 9 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | $87,999 | $42.31 |
| 10 | California College of the Arts | $87,747 | $42.19 |
| 11 | Harvard University | $82,755 | $39.79 |
| 12 | Buchanan & Edwards | $82,683 | $39.75 |
| 13 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $81,985 | $39.42 |
| 14 | New York University | $79,662 | $38.30 |
| 15 | The University of Chicago | $79,123 | $38.04 |
| 16 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $78,616 | $37.80 |
| 17 | Yale University | $78,528 | $37.75 |
| 18 | World Economic Forum | $78,259 | $37.62 |
| 19 | Likewise Software | $76,802 | $36.92 |
| 20 | The Museum of Modern Art | $76,737 | $36.89 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Curator salary trends
The average curator salary has risen by $6,887 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average curator earned $41,036 annually, but today, they earn $47,923 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for curators over the last decade.
Compare curator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average curator salary over time
Compare curator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Dayton, OH
Curator salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $47,900 | $23.04 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | $45,900 | $22.06 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $45,200 | $21.74 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | $45,200 | $21.74 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | $44,900 | $21.57 | +3.4% |
Recently added curator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agupdate | Curator-The Wolfsonian | Miami, FL | 12/15/2024 | $70,000 |
| University of Michigan | Data Curator | Ann Arbor, MI | 12/12/2024 | $41,000 |
| State of Minnesota | Curator of Birds-Zoo Supervisor | Apple Valley, MN | 12/10/2024 | $67,505 |
| Ndow | Curator 2 | Carson City, NV | 12/10/2024 | $59,257 |
| Maple Hospitality Group | Maple & ASH Experience Curators | Miami, FL | 12/09/2024 | $52,175 |
| Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago | Interim Curator of Performance | Chicago, IL | 12/08/2024 | $70,280 |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Curator, Bessey Herbarium | Lincoln, NE | 11/27/2024 | $67,000 |
| Aza | Curator SEA Life Arizona | Tempe, AZ | 11/27/2024 | $70,000 |
| National Council On Public History | Curator, History | Ione, CA | 11/27/2024 | $81,604 |
| Candidate Experience-Site | Spa Curator | Truckee, CA | 11/26/2024 | $44,286 |
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