How much should I pay a curators in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Curators is $63,419 to $83,075 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows professional services wages growing about 2.5% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a curators?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $48,859 is below market, $63,419 to $83,075 is competitive, and above $83,075 is above market for Curators.

How is curators pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 2.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI). Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).

Curators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 25-4012 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$63,419

$30.49/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Curators salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$40K

P25$49K

P50$63K

P75$83K

P90$107K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

🔥

Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $63,419 to $83,075 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Curators pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 2.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · HOT

Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Curators is $63,419 per year ($30.49/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $48,859 and $83,075 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $107,141 per year. There are approximately 12,150 curators employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034

10-year growth

+7.0%

Faster than average

Annual openings

per year, on avg

Workforce today

15K

as of 2024

Why those openings exist

6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role

Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.

Typical entry requirements

Education

Master's degree

Experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific

Industry	Workforce	Median Pay
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions NAICS 712100	7K	$61,790
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300	2K	$72,230
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300	1K	$63,680
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999200	870	$62,820
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100	350	$99,150

Wage range across top 5 industries: $61,790 to $99,150 (60% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$19.46	$40,477
P25	$23.49	$48,859
P50MEDIAN	$30.49	$63,419
P75	$39.94	$83,075
P90	$51.51	$107,141

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · professional sector

Hot

Openings Rate

5.5%

Quits Rate

2.2%

Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average curators salary?

The national median salary for Curators is $63,419 per year ($30.49/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $48,859 and $83,075 annually.

How much do top-earning curators make?

The 90th percentile salary for Curators is $107,141 per year ($51.51/hr). The 75th percentile is $83,075 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for curators?

Entry-level Curators (10th percentile) earn approximately $40,477 per year ($19.46/hr). The 25th percentile is $48,859 per year.

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Curators Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

New York1,330 workers California1,140 workers Texas690 workers North Carolina600 workers Pennsylvania520 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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