Curator vs collections curator

The differences between curators and collections curators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a curator and a collections curator. Additionally, a collections curator has an average salary of $48,745, which is higher than the $47,923 average annual salary of a curator.

The top three skills for a curator include facebook, historical research and exhibit design. The most important skills for a collections curator are collections management, museum collection, and condition reports.

Curator vs collections curator overview

	Curator	Collections Curator
Yearly salary	$47,923	$48,745
Hourly rate	$23.04	$23.44
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	432	3,223
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Curator vs collections curator salary

Curators and collections curators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Curator	Collections Curator
Average salary	$47,923	$48,745
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $85,000	Between $24,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Hampton, VA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Apple	Stanford University
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between curator and collections curator education

There are a few differences between a curator and a collections curator in terms of educational background:

	Curator	Collections Curator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Fine Arts	History
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Curator vs collections curator demographics

Here are the differences between curators' and collections curators' demographics:

	Curator	Collections Curator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between curator and collections curator duties and responsibilities

Curator example responsibilities.

Manage visual resource center, including acquisition, cataloging, budget management and other relevant issues.
Aid instructors in sorting through student works to curate gallery.
Produce written materials including wall labels and artists' biographies.
Participate in SEO research and compile a summary for the rest of the team.
Create and upload content daily, using a web-base administration tool, and HTML.
Assist with inquiries regarding scanning Photoshop, PowerPoint and other vr-relate software and equipment.

Collections curator example responsibilities.

Manage and update museum's social media presence on Facebook.
Review and edit listing photography and source photographers in various markets to capture unique accommodations and cover special assignments worldwide.
Handle all acquisitions and surplus placement with other AZA accredit institutions.

Curator vs collections curator skills

Common curator skills

Facebook, 10%
Historical Research, 8%
Exhibit Design, 8%
Photography, 7%
Collections Management, 5%
Art History, 5%

Common collections curator skills

Collections Management, 18%
Museum Collection, 18%
Condition Reports, 12%
Newsletter Articles, 11%
Donor Relations, 9%
K-12, 8%

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Curator vs Collections Curator

Updated January 8, 2025

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