The average salary for a curator in the United States is around $63,420 per year.
Avg Salary
Curators earn an average yearly salary of $63,420.
Wages typically start from $40,470 and go up to $107,140.
2% above national average Updated in 2025
Curator earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level curator earnings begin at:
$51.51 per hour
$107,140 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level curator earnings begin at:
$39.94 per hour
$83,080 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level curator earnings begin at:
$30.49 per hour
$63,420 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level curator earnings begin at:
$23.49 per hour
$48,870 per year
10th percentile
Starting level curator earnings begin at:
$19.46 per hour
$40,470 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Curator salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $93,310 |
| New Hampshire | $82,490 |
| New York | $79,120 |
| California | $78,740 |
| Rhode Island | $77,930 |
| New Jersey | $77,800 |
| Massachusetts | $77,790 |
| Connecticut | $76,510 |
| South Dakota | $74,990 |
| Washington | $74,030 |
| Colorado | $73,630 |
| Nevada | $69,900 |
| Wisconsin | $64,370 |
| Alaska | $63,880 |
| Maryland | $63,750 |
| New Mexico | $63,690 |
| Ohio | $63,640 |
| Arizona | $63,510 |
| Michigan | $63,190 |
| Illinois | $63,060 |
| Oregon | $62,790 |
| Idaho | $62,190 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,100 |
| Wyoming | $61,910 |
| Alabama | $61,120 |
| Oklahoma | $60,560 |
| Louisiana | $60,080 |
| Texas | $59,990 |
| Missouri | $59,960 |
| Utah | $59,910 |
| Florida | $59,500 |
| Nebraska | $58,600 |
| Virginia | $58,200 |
| Georgia | $57,810 |
| Tennessee | $57,580 |
| Delaware | $56,800 |
| Kansas | $56,630 |
| Vermont | $56,520 |
| Maine | $56,470 |
| Kentucky | $55,460 |
| Montana | $54,460 |
| Minnesota | $53,920 |
| Indiana | $53,910 |
| Arkansas | $53,870 |
| Iowa | $53,830 |
| Hawaii | $50,720 |
| North Carolina | $49,470 |
| North Dakota | $47,580 |
| South Carolina | $47,200 |
| Mississippi | $40,600 |
| 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 school psychologists but more than humanitarians.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| School psychologist salary | $96K |
| Urban planner salary | $89K |
| Historian salary | $77K |
| Anthropologist salary | $71K |
| Archaeologist salary | $71K |
| Curator salary | $63K |
| Archivist salary | $65K |
| Embalmer salary | $59K |
| Museum conservator salary | $51K |
| Humanitarian salary | $46K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)