Best states for a collections curator

Q: What is the best state for collections curators?

The best state to be a collections curator is District of Columbia based on collections curator salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for collections curators?

The highest paying state for collections curators is Wyoming based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for collections curators?

The worst state for collections curators is Montana, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for collections curators? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for collections curator jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of collections curators in America is $96,000.

District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for collections curators, and Montana is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $66,620, while the median pay in Montana is $33,855.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for collections curator jobs, whereas Montana is the worst.

10 best states for collections curators in 2026

1. District of Columbia
Total collections curator jobs: 18
Average annual salary: $66,620
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
1.98
Collections curator jobs in District of Columbia
2. New Hampshire
Total collections curator jobs: 10
Average annual salary: $59,125
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Collections curator jobs in New Hampshire
3. Virginia
Total collections curator jobs: 66
Average annual salary: $57,903
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Collections curator jobs in Virginia
4. Maine
Total collections curator jobs: 10
Average annual salary: $51,775
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Location Quotient:
1.39
Collections curator jobs in Maine
5. Nevada
Total collections curator jobs: 14
Average annual salary: $52,405
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Collections curator jobs in Nevada
6. Connecticut
Total collections curator jobs: 12
Average annual salary: $63,348
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
0.67
Collections curator jobs in Connecticut
7. Arizona
Total collections curator jobs: 47
Average annual salary: $50,636
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
Collections curator jobs in Arizona
8. Alaska
Total collections curator jobs: 0
Average annual salary: $68,395
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
0
Collections curator jobs in Alaska
9. Delaware
Total collections curator jobs: 4
Average annual salary: $62,601
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
0.59
Collections curator jobs in Delaware
10. Pennsylvania
Total collections curator jobs: 59
Average annual salary: $50,919
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Collections curator jobs in Pennsylvania

Collections curator jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a collections curator

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a collections curator

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$66,620	$34,000	693,972	18
2	New Hampshire	$59,125	$30,000	1,342,795	10
3	Virginia	$57,903	$29,000	8,470,020	66
4	Maine	$51,775	$27,000	1,335,907	10
5	Nevada	$52,405	$26,000	2,998,039	14
6	Connecticut	$63,348	$32,000	3,588,184	12
7	Arizona	$50,636	$26,000	7,016,270	47
8	Alaska	$68,395	$36,000	739,795	0
9	Delaware	$62,601	$31,000	961,939	4
10	Pennsylvania	$50,919	$25,000	12,805,537	59
11	Rhode Island	$62,601	$31,000	1,059,639	1
12	Wisconsin	$49,413	$28,000	5,795,483	28
13	Ohio	$51,449	$27,000	11,658,609	48
14	Minnesota	$48,496	$28,000	5,576,606	47
15	California	$54,479	$27,000	39,536,653	134
16	West Virginia	$52,723	$28,000	1,815,857	1
17	Maryland	$49,708	$25,000	6,052,177	53
18	Texas	$46,425	$24,000	28,304,596	159
19	New York	$53,160	$26,000	19,849,399	56
20	Kentucky	$45,785	$25,000	4,454,189	18
21	Indiana	$47,117	$26,000	6,666,818	26
22	New Jersey	$48,188	$24,000	9,005,644	44
23	Massachusetts	$49,816	$25,000	6,859,819	34
24	Nebraska	$42,439	$24,000	1,920,076	23
25	Tennessee	$43,610	$24,000	6,715,984	28
26	Vermont	$48,934	$25,000	623,657	2
27	North Dakota	$46,688	$28,000	755,393	0
28	Utah	$40,038	$21,000	3,101,833	40
29	Georgia	$42,366	$23,000	10,429,379	53
30	Oklahoma	$42,795	$24,000	3,930,864	11
31	New Mexico	$42,253	$22,000	2,088,070	8
32	Illinois	$42,062	$23,000	12,802,023	59
33	Oregon	$45,250	$23,000	4,142,776	13
34	Mississippi	$42,079	$23,000	2,984,100	7
35	Kansas	$40,635	$23,000	2,913,123	13
36	Michigan	$42,126	$22,000	9,962,311	25
37	Iowa	$38,878	$22,000	3,145,711	20
38	Washington	$40,457	$21,000	7,405,743	41
39	Missouri	$37,261	$21,000	6,113,532	61
40	South Dakota	$36,719	$21,000	869,666	7
41	Florida	$36,485	$20,000	20,984,400	119
42	Louisiana	$37,030	$20,000	4,684,333	16
43	Alabama	$38,042	$21,000	4,874,747	19
44	Colorado	$39,607	$22,000	5,607,154	25
45	Hawaii	$34,424	$22,000	1,427,538	4
46	Arkansas	$36,628	$20,000	3,004,279	9
47	Idaho	$38,155	$20,000	1,716,943	3
48	South Carolina	$35,329	$19,000	5,024,369	18
49	North Carolina	$36,656	$19,000	10,273,419	27
50	Wyoming	$29,611	$16,000	579,315	2
51	Montana	$33,855	$19,000	1,050,493	3

Highest paying states for collections curators

Rank	State	Avg. Collections Curator Salary
1	District of Columbia	$66,620
2	New Hampshire	$59,125
3	Virginia	$57,903
4	Maine	$51,775
5	Nevada	$52,405
6	Connecticut	$63,348
7	Arizona	$50,636
8	Alaska	$68,395
9	Delaware	$62,601
10	Pennsylvania	$50,919
11	Rhode Island	$62,601
12	Wisconsin	$49,413
13	Ohio	$51,449
14	Minnesota	$48,496
15	California	$54,479
16	West Virginia	$52,723
17	Maryland	$49,708
18	Texas	$46,425
19	New York	$53,160
20	Kentucky	$45,785
21	Indiana	$47,117
22	New Jersey	$48,188
23	Massachusetts	$49,816
24	Nebraska	$42,439
25	Tennessee	$43,610
26	Vermont	$48,934
27	North Dakota	$46,688
28	Utah	$40,038
29	Georgia	$42,366
30	Oklahoma	$42,795
31	New Mexico	$42,253
32	Illinois	$42,062
33	Oregon	$45,250
34	Mississippi	$42,079
35	Kansas	$40,635
36	Michigan	$42,126
37	Iowa	$38,878
38	Washington	$40,457
39	Missouri	$37,261
40	South Dakota	$36,719
41	Florida	$36,485
42	Louisiana	$37,030
43	Alabama	$38,042
44	Colorado	$39,607
45	Hawaii	$34,424
46	Arkansas	$36,628
47	Idaho	$38,155
48	South Carolina	$35,329
49	North Carolina	$36,656
50	Wyoming	$29,611
51	Montana	$33,855

Collections curator best states FAQs

What is the best state for collections curators?

What is the highest paying state for collections curators?

What is the worst state for collections curators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.

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Collections Curator
Best states for Collections Curators

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total collections curator jobs:	18
Average annual salary:	$66,620
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$34,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$129,000
Location Quotient:	1.98

Best states for a collections curator

10 best states for collections curators in 2026

1. District of Columbia

2. New Hampshire

3. Virginia

4. Maine

5. Nevada

6. Connecticut

7. Arizona

8. Alaska

9. Delaware

10. Pennsylvania