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Best states for a curator
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Curator opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for curators, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for curators.As curators are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for curators. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a curator, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
In order to get you the best states for curators, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that New Hampshire is the best state for curator jobs, whereas Hawaii is the worst.
10 best states for curators in 2026
1. New Hampshire
Total curator jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $58,077 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 2.38
2. Virginia
Total curator jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $57,702 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 3.1
3. District of Columbia
Total curator jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $60,036 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 4.97
4. Connecticut
Total curator jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $57,446 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.89
5. Rhode Island
Total curator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $61,499 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 0
6. Alaska
Total curator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $65,211 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 0
7. California
Total curator jobs: 20 Average annual salary: $60,249 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
8. Delaware
Total curator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $62,251 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. Pennsylvania
Total curator jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $56,866 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
10. Missouri
Total curator jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $53,810 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
Curator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a curator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a curator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $58,077 | $33,000 | 1,342,795 | 2 |
| 2 | Virginia | $57,702 | $32,000 | 8,470,020 | 14 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $60,036 | $33,000 | 693,972 | 4 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $57,446 | $32,000 | 3,588,184 | 3 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $61,499 | $34,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 6 | Alaska | $65,211 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 7 | California | $60,249 | $33,000 | 39,536,653 | 20 |
| 8 | Delaware | $62,251 | $34,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $56,866 | $32,000 | 12,805,537 | 3 |
| 10 | Missouri | $53,810 | $32,000 | 6,113,532 | 3 |
| 11 | Ohio | $52,241 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 3 |
| 12 | Texas | $52,273 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 7 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $53,316 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 14 | Maine | $51,085 | $29,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 15 | Nevada | $55,434 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 16 | Oregon | $52,969 | $30,000 | 4,142,776 | 2 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $54,298 | $35,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $52,322 | $32,000 | 5,795,483 | 1 |
| 19 | New York | $52,738 | $29,000 | 19,849,399 | 11 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $47,100 | $28,000 | 1,920,076 | 3 |
| 21 | Arizona | $50,540 | $28,000 | 7,016,270 | 1 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $47,358 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 2 |
| 23 | Maryland | $49,636 | $28,000 | 6,052,177 | 8 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $48,956 | $27,000 | 6,859,819 | 9 |
| 25 | Indiana | $48,664 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 26 | Illinois | $48,949 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 6 |
| 27 | Washington | $48,465 | $28,000 | 7,405,743 | 5 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $49,869 | $31,000 | 5,576,606 | 0 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $45,268 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 2 |
| 30 | Vermont | $48,458 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $45,435 | $27,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $43,865 | $25,000 | 2,088,070 | 2 |
| 33 | Utah | $45,879 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 34 | Colorado | $44,380 | $26,000 | 5,607,154 | 4 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $47,516 | $26,000 | 9,005,644 | 1 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $44,140 | $26,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 37 | Kansas | $43,679 | $26,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 38 | Alabama | $39,843 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 4 |
| 39 | Idaho | $44,845 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 40 | Michigan | $43,070 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 1 |
| 41 | Georgia | $44,002 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $41,471 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 43 | Iowa | $41,975 | $25,000 | 3,145,711 | 1 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $34,037 | $20,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $38,591 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 1 |
| 46 | Montana | $40,207 | $24,000 | 1,050,493 | 0 |
| 47 | Florida | $37,541 | $23,000 | 20,984,400 | 7 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $37,675 | $22,000 | 10,273,419 | 3 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $38,485 | $22,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $36,331 | $21,000 | 5,024,369 | 1 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $34,044 | $24,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
Highest paying states for curators
| Rank | State | Avg. Curator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $58,077 |
| 2 | Virginia | $57,702 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $60,036 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $57,446 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $61,499 |
| 6 | Alaska | $65,211 |
| 7 | California | $60,249 |
| 8 | Delaware | $62,251 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $56,866 |
| 10 | Missouri | $53,810 |
| 11 | Ohio | $52,241 |
| 12 | Texas | $52,273 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $53,316 |
| 14 | Maine | $51,085 |
| 15 | Nevada | $55,434 |
| 16 | Oregon | $52,969 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $54,298 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $52,322 |
| 19 | New York | $52,738 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $47,100 |
| 21 | Arizona | $50,540 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $47,358 |
| 23 | Maryland | $49,636 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $48,956 |
| 25 | Indiana | $48,664 |
| 26 | Illinois | $48,949 |
| 27 | Washington | $48,465 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $49,869 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $45,268 |
| 30 | Vermont | $48,458 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $45,435 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $43,865 |
| 33 | Utah | $45,879 |
| 34 | Colorado | $44,380 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $47,516 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $44,140 |
| 37 | Kansas | $43,679 |
| 38 | Alabama | $39,843 |
| 39 | Idaho | $44,845 |
| 40 | Michigan | $43,070 |
| 41 | Georgia | $44,002 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $41,471 |
| 43 | Iowa | $41,975 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $34,037 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $38,591 |
| 46 | Montana | $40,207 |
| 47 | Florida | $37,541 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $37,675 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $38,485 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $36,331 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $34,044 |
Curator best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025