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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
2K
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
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
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.
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.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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