Occupation salary profile

Curators

SOC 25-4012 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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.

National median · BLS
$63,420
▲ +2.67% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$81,182
▼ -0.25% YoY · 57 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$71,560
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
12,150
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Curators

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 57 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$40,470$60,463
25th$48,870$68,000
Median (50th)$63,420$81,182
75th$83,080$95,000
90th — top pay$107,140$152,500
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $81,182 for Curators — 28% above the BLS national median of $63,420.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Curators

BLS projects employment of curators to grow 4.9% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
14,200 → 14,900
+700 jobs
Projected change
+4.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
8.8% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a master's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $81,182
Change vs prior year -0.25%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.28%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 17 29.8% $60,600 $66,518 $69,000
Level II 14 24.6% $72,940 $87,232 $88,000
Level IV 13 22.8% $102,000 $150,000 $152,500
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Curators

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Writing3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.6
  • Active Learning3.5
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.5
  • Monitoring3.4
  • Systems Analysis3.4
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language4.6
  • History and Archeology4.5
  • Fine Arts3.8
  • Administration and Management3.3
  • Sociology and Anthropology3.3
  • Communications and Media3.2
  • Administrative3.1
  • Education and Training3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointAdobe AcrobatAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopApple macOSAutodesk AutoCADExtensible markup language XMLFacebookLinuxMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Visual StudioMicrosoft WordPerl

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What curators do

  • 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.
Also called
Collections CuratorCollections ManagerCuratorMuseum CuratorEducation CuratorExhibitions CuratorExhibits CuratorPhotography CuratorVertebrate Zoology Curator
More job titles for this occupation (24)
Art CuratorArt HandlerCoin CollectorContent CuratorData CuratorDigital CuratorEducational Institution CuratorEducational Resource CoordinatorField CollectorHerbarium CuratorMetadata CuratorMuseum CoordinatorMuseum EducatorMuseum ManagerMuseum RegistrarMuseum SpecialistNatural Science CuratorNumismatistOld Coin DealerPhilatelistPhotography and Prints CuratorPreparatorPreservation SpecialistStamp Collector

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.