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Role hub · Curators

Curator: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of curators earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$63,420
Hourly
$30.49
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Curators administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. The median pay is $63,420 a year ($30.49 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a master's degree (44% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$63,420
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
12,150
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Master's Degree
44% of workers
Key facts

Curators at a glance

  • Curators in the United States earned a median annual wage of $63,420 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for curators in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of curators in the United States to grow 4.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 12,150 people were employed as curators in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Curators

SalaryCurator salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeCurator how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

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The work

What curators do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
  2. Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
  3. Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
  4. Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
  5. Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
  6. Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
  7. Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
  8. Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all curator jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions46.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +8.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $70,230
  2. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals18.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $71,840
  3. Educational services; state, local, and private17.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $75,940
  4. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations3.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $62,520
  5. Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries0.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +9.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $65,340
  6. Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services0.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +13.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $88,400

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreSpeakingcoreActive ListeningcoreWritingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingActive LearningSystems Analysis

Knowledge areas: English Language, History and Archeology, Fine Arts, Administration and Management, Sociology and Anthropology, Communications and Media.

Tools and technology

Software curators use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Extensible markup language XMLEnterprise application integration softwareHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Adobe FreeHand MXGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Graphics softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Microsoft PaintGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Social media sitesWeb page creation and editing software

Also called: Collections Curator, Collections Manager, Education Curator, Exhibitions Curator, Exhibits Curator.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.