The average wage for a curator in the United States is around $25.60 per hour.
Avg Wage
Curators earn an average hourly wage of $25.60.
Salaries typically start from $14.42 per hour and go up to $45.44 per hour.
11% below national average Updated in 2019
Curator earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level curator earnings begin at:
$45.44 per hour
$94,516 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level curator earnings begin at:
$34.62 per hour
$72,018 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level curator earnings begin at:
$25.60 per hour
$53,242 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level curator earnings begin at:
$18.92 per hour
$39,362 per year
10th percentile
Starting level curator earnings begin at:
$14.42 per hour
$29,992 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Curator salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $79,370 |
| New York | $66,400 |
| Alaska | $66,000 |
| New Jersey | $65,620 |
| Connecticut | $64,913 |
| Massachusetts | $63,810 |
| Maryland | $63,240 |
| Washington | $61,640 |
| Virginia | $60,920 |
| California | $60,640 |
| Missouri | $59,150 |
| Delaware | $59,000 |
| Colorado | $58,650 |
| Nevada | $57,450 |
| Arizona | $56,050 |
| Hawaii | $55,900 |
| Vermont | $55,490 |
| Rhode Island | $54,010 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,840 |
| New Mexico | $51,500 |
| Kentucky | $51,230 |
| Texas | $51,000 |
| Illinois | $50,921 |
| Alabama | $50,741 |
| Ohio | $49,980 |
| Wisconsin | $49,590 |
| South Carolina | $49,160 |
| Utah | $49,000 |
| Kansas | $48,816 |
| Maine | $48,110 |
| South Dakota | $47,620 |
| North Dakota | $47,580 |
| Minnesota | $47,440 |
| Tennessee | $46,420 |
| Arkansas | $46,330 |
| Michigan | $46,300 |
| Iowa | $45,900 |
| Indiana | $45,560 |
| Oklahoma | $44,540 |
| North Carolina | $43,640 |
| Nebraska | $43,340 |
| Georgia | $43,230 |
| Oregon | $41,050 |
| Florida | $40,590 |
| New Hampshire | $40,530 |
| Louisiana | $39,820 |
| Montana | $39,510 |
| Wyoming | $39,200 |
| Mississippi | $38,220 |
| Idaho | $35,500 |
| West Virginia | $35,330 |
How do curator salaries compare to similar careers?
Curators earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than urban planners but more than humanitarians.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Urban planner salary | $74K |
| Scientist salary | $70K |
| Historian salary | $64K |
| Anthropologist salary | $64K |
| Archaeologist salary | $64K |
| Curator salary | $53K |
| Archivist salary | $54K |
| Embalmer salary | $48K |
| Museum conservator salary | $44K |
| Humanitarian salary | $35K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)