Curators: Job Description
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.
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What Tasks Do Curators Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of curators include:
- 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.
- Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
- Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
- Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
- Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
- Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
- Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
- Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective curators draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Curators Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Art Curator
- Art Handler
- Coin Collector
- Collections Curator
- Collections Manager
- Content Curator
- Curator
- Data Curator
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 1,493,993 curators working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +4.1% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Curators
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $79,764 |
| Hourly median | $38.35 |
| 10th percentile | $48,181 |
| 25th percentile | $63,972 |
| 75th percentile | $95,555 |
| 90th percentile | $111,346 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Curators Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $81,990 |
| New York | $78,760 |
| California | $78,710 |
| Massachusetts | $75,980 |
| Rhode Island | $74,690 |
| Connecticut | $73,350 |
| Colorado | $70,100 |
| Nevada | $67,310 |
| Washington | $66,160 |
| New Jersey | $65,930 |
| Alaska | $65,150 |
| Michigan | $64,030 |
| Arizona | $63,900 |
| South Dakota | $63,810 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,600 |
| Hawaii | $62,400 |
| Kansas | $61,770 |
| Wisconsin | $61,560 |
| Maryland | $61,350 |
| Minnesota | $61,270 |
| Illinois | $60,850 |
| New Mexico | $60,650 |
| Virginia | $60,020 |
| Idaho | $59,640 |
| Texas | $59,030 |
| Ohio | $58,890 |
| Alabama | $58,390 |
| Missouri | $57,790 |
| South Carolina | $57,750 |
| Louisiana | $55,680 |
| Florida | $55,560 |
| Tennessee | $55,490 |
| Vermont | $55,340 |
| Oregon | $55,290 |
| Arkansas | $55,040 |
| Indiana | $53,850 |
| New Hampshire | $53,160 |
| Nebraska | $52,870 |
| Iowa | $52,230 |
| Wyoming | $51,040 |
| Delaware | $50,980 |
| Kentucky | $50,940 |
| Georgia | $50,900 |
| West Virginia | $50,810 |
| Maine | $50,690 |
| North Carolina | $50,220 |
| Utah | $50,040 |
| Montana | $48,700 |
| Oklahoma | $48,470 |
Where Curators Earn the Most
Compensation for curators vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $73,046 | 15.4% | 0.99 |
| Middle Atlantic | $72,239 | 19.7% | 1.48 |
| New England | $69,086 | 8.0% | 1.82 |
| Rocky Mountains | $61,185 | 5.4% | 1.70 |
| Great Lakes | $60,513 | 13.7% | 0.99 |
| Southwest | $57,554 | 8.8% | 1.00 |
| Plains States | $57,316 | 7.0% | 1.13 |
| Southeast | $54,710 | 22.0% | 1.02 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | CT | $97,820 | 70 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | MI | $97,090 | 50 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | OH | $96,640 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $94,110 | 50 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $90,290 | 210 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $86,420 | 950 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $83,910 | 150 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | AZ | $81,030 | 40 |
Which Industries Hire Curators
Most curators work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 7,050 | $60,110 |
| Educational Services | 1,800 | $66,330 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 270 | $64,160 |
| Information | 240 | $76,270 |
| Retail Trade | 90 | $45,770 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 80 | n/a |
| Wholesale Trade | 50 | $107,060 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 40 | $67,880 |
Curators work in the following industries:
Software Curators Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for curators is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Freedom to Make Decisions
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level curators positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Anthropologists and Archeologists (Primary-Long)
- Historians (Primary-Short)
- Social Science Research Assistants (Supplemental)
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Short)
- Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Geography Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 25-4012.00 (Curators).
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