Archivists
Median $64,550
Occupation · SOC 25-4012
Curators: pay and where the jobs are
What curators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$63,420 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $71,560
- Median hourly wage
- $30.49
- Mean hourly wage
- $34.40
- Employment
- 12,150
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4012.
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See where your pay falls among curators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do curators make?
The median annual wage for curators was $63,420 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,470 and the highest-paid 10% more than $107,140. As an hourly rate, the median is $30.49. About 12,150 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($93,310), New Hampshire ($82,490) and New York ($79,120). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for curators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,470 | $19.46 | $3,373 | $2,891 |
| 25th percentile | $48,870 | $23.49 | $4,073 | $3,454 |
| Median | $63,420 | $30.49 | $5,285 | $4,428 |
| 75th percentile | $83,080 | $39.94 | $6,923 | $5,606 |
| 90th percentile | $107,140 | $51.51 | $8,928 | $7,017 |
Curators: pay by state
49 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$69,521 take-home in national prices
2
$64,188 take-home in national prices
3
$63,249 take-home in national prices
Where a median curator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 140 | $93,310 | $62,530 | $161,380 | $69,511 | $63,249 |
| New Hampshire | 60 | $82,490 | $44,620 | $121,030 | $66,862 | $64,188 |
| New York | 1,330 | $79,120 | $46,060 | $148,580 | $60,442 | $56,006 |
| California | 1,140 | $78,740 | $53,390 | $125,670 | $60,122 | $54,301 |
| Rhode Island | 70 | $77,930 | $46,740 | $108,900 | $60,491 | $59,143 |
| New Jersey | 120 | $77,800 | $48,870 | $114,880 | $60,279 | $55,401 |
| Massachusetts | 370 | $77,790 | $41,310 | $130,480 | $59,528 | $56,287 |
| Connecticut | 190 | $76,510 | $46,980 | $127,510 | $58,814 | $56,765 |
| South Dakota | 50 | $74,990 | $49,740 | $98,490 | $61,585 | $69,521 |
| Washington | 260 | $74,030 | $45,720 | $119,220 | $59,883 | $55,959 |
| Colorado | 300 | $73,630 | $51,940 | $104,530 | $57,773 | $56,062 |
| Nevada | 100 | $69,900 | $43,010 | $96,850 | $58,005 | $58,017 |
| Wisconsin | 300 | $64,370 | $43,210 | $91,220 | $51,589 | $54,826 |
| Alaska | 90 | $63,880 | $53,920 | $105,870 | $53,237 | $52,010 |
| Maryland | 170 | $63,750 | $51,860 | $102,260 | $50,741 | $48,344 |
| New Mexico | 140 | $63,690 | $50,350 | $74,960 | $51,527 | $55,879 |
| Ohio | 370 | $63,640 | $33,280 | $102,610 | $52,008 | $56,059 |
| Arizona | 150 | $63,510 | $36,490 | $102,800 | $52,016 | $51,667 |
| Michigan | 360 | $63,190 | $36,440 | $105,970 | $50,518 | $52,505 |
| Illinois | 410 | $63,060 | $36,490 | $107,990 | $49,872 | $49,893 |
| Oregon | 260 | $62,790 | $43,100 | $103,880 | $48,066 | $46,503 |
| Idaho | 50 | $62,190 | $40,170 | $76,400 | $49,962 | $52,319 |
| Pennsylvania | 520 | $62,100 | $44,930 | $101,490 | $50,127 | $51,375 |
| Wyoming | 90 | $61,910 | $36,690 | $82,430 | $51,925 | $56,019 |
| Alabama | 150 | $61,120 | $40,800 | $98,470 | $48,732 | $54,864 |
| Oklahoma | 150 | $60,560 | $39,040 | $101,970 | $48,660 | $55,395 |
| Louisiana | 160 | $60,080 | $36,030 | $101,700 | $49,038 | $55,594 |
| Texas | 690 | $59,990 | $43,040 | $93,860 | $50,382 | $51,910 |
| Missouri | 260 | $59,960 | $36,790 | $102,850 | $48,477 | $53,379 |
| Utah | 50 | $59,910 | $39,870 | $80,790 | $48,076 | $48,628 |
| Florida | 420 | $59,500 | $37,880 | $107,000 | $49,988 | $48,338 |
| Nebraska | 120 | $58,600 | $37,320 | $86,880 | $47,478 | $52,693 |
| Virginia | 450 | $58,200 | $38,550 | $107,910 | $46,411 | $45,905 |
| Georgia | 230 | $57,810 | $38,590 | $96,820 | $46,494 | $48,284 |
| Tennessee | 190 | $57,580 | $32,960 | $89,130 | $48,446 | $52,733 |
| Delaware | 60 | $56,800 | $41,880 | $89,440 | $45,116 | $45,203 |
| Kansas | 120 | $56,630 | $30,160 | $88,880 | $45,322 | $50,320 |
| Vermont | 60 | $56,520 | $36,810 | $78,210 | $46,134 | $47,096 |
| Maine | 110 | $56,470 | $40,100 | $80,110 | $45,137 | $46,509 |
| Kentucky | 130 | $55,460 | $34,420 | $82,400 | $44,919 | $49,822 |
| Montana | 100 | $54,460 | $37,760 | $88,910 | $44,136 | $46,633 |
| Minnesota | 220 | $53,920 | $33,280 | $90,670 | $43,124 | $43,727 |
| Indiana | 220 | $53,910 | $41,510 | $84,450 | $43,936 | $47,076 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $53,870 | $42,550 | $98,120 | $43,959 | $50,564 |
| Iowa | 230 | $53,830 | $31,910 | $89,780 | $44,039 | $50,180 |
| Hawaii | 140 | $50,720 | $40,640 | $100,300 | $40,603 | $36,928 |
| North Carolina | 600 | $49,470 | $42,240 | $76,890 | $40,464 | $42,898 |
| South Carolina | 120 | $47,200 | $35,800 | $78,430 | $39,291 | $41,911 |
| Mississippi | 30 | $40,600 | $27,680 | $63,130 | $33,910 | $38,998 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-4012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.