Museum Technicians and Conservators: Career Profile
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
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What Tasks Do Museum Technicians and Conservators Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of museum technicians and conservators span:
- Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
- Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
- Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
- Photograph objects for documentation.
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
- Enter information about museum collections into computer databases.
- Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
Skills and Knowledge
Top museum technicians and conservators draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Museum Technicians and Conservators Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Archaeological Technician
- Armorer Technician
- Art Conservator
- Art Handler
- Art Objects Repairer
- Art Preparator
- Artifacts Conservator
- Ceramic Restorer
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 663,035 museum technicians and conservators working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +0.0% over the projection horizon.
Museum Technicians and Conservators Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $96,273 |
| Hourly median | $46.29 |
| 10th percentile | $61,607 |
| 25th percentile | $78,940 |
| 75th percentile | $113,607 |
| 90th percentile | $130,940 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Museum Technicians and Conservators Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $74,300 |
| Maryland | $72,950 |
| Connecticut | $66,070 |
| New York | $64,680 |
| Alaska | $63,490 |
| Massachusetts | $59,130 |
| California | $58,960 |
| Washington | $58,470 |
| Rhode Island | $54,230 |
| Colorado | $51,780 |
| New Mexico | $51,170 |
| Florida | $49,740 |
| Wyoming | $49,250 |
| Indiana | $49,240 |
| Virginia | $48,640 |
| Georgia | $48,380 |
| West Virginia | $47,910 |
| Iowa | $47,520 |
| Ohio | $47,060 |
| Missouri | $46,680 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,230 |
| Illinois | $46,170 |
| Maine | $45,640 |
| Arizona | $44,460 |
| Oregon | $44,260 |
| Arkansas | $43,810 |
| Utah | $43,230 |
| Minnesota | $43,210 |
| Nevada | $42,800 |
| Tennessee | $41,910 |
| New Jersey | $41,700 |
| Alabama | $41,420 |
| Oklahoma | $41,340 |
| Idaho | $40,800 |
| Kansas | $40,190 |
| Nebraska | $39,560 |
| Montana | $39,550 |
| North Carolina | $39,190 |
| Hawaii | $38,380 |
| Michigan | $38,140 |
| Delaware | $37,330 |
| South Carolina | $36,500 |
| South Dakota | $36,200 |
| Louisiana | $34,680 |
| Kentucky | $34,570 |
| Texas | $34,320 |
| Wisconsin | $32,940 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for museum technicians and conservators shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $63,288 | 20.1% | 2.74 |
| New England | $59,127 | 4.9% | 1.25 |
| Far Western US | $56,333 | 19.3% | 1.21 |
| Rocky Mountains | $46,407 | 3.8% | 1.29 |
| Plains States | $44,968 | 12.5% | 2.88 |
| Great Lakes | $43,788 | 11.8% | 0.85 |
| Southeast | $42,089 | 18.4% | 1.12 |
| Southwest | $38,180 | 9.3% | 0.85 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $74,370 | 980 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $72,480 | 470 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $70,370 | 850 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | IA | $66,460 | 40 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $64,680 | 70 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | NY | $62,900 | 30 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $60,670 | 640 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $60,320 | 210 |
Top Industries Employing Museum Technicians and Conservators
Most museum technicians and conservators are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 7,080 | $45,940 |
| Educational Services | 1,380 | $54,080 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 290 | $41,200 |
| Information | 130 | $56,810 |
Museum Technicians and Conservators work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- 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)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
Daily working conditions for museum technicians and conservators reflects the following characteristics:
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Getting Started in This Career
Typical museum technicians and conservators positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (Supplemental)
- Conservation Scientists (Supplemental)
- Historians (Primary-Short)
- Chemical Technicians (Primary-Long)
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians (Supplemental)
- Forest and Conservation Technicians (Primary-Long)
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
References
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: 25-4013.00 (Museum Technicians and Conservators).
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