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Best states for a museum curator
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for museum curators in the United States. Museum curator positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for museum curators.We wanted to look at the best states for museum curators -- where there are plenty of museum curator jobs to go around and museum curators get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for museum curators. Alaska is the best state for museum curators, where the median salary is $56,715.If you are currently seeking employment as a museum curator, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for museum curators in 2026
1. Alaska
Total museum curator jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $56,715 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 4.82
2. District of Columbia
Total museum curator jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $56,647 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 4.79
3. Connecticut
Total museum curator jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $54,831 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
4. New Hampshire
Total museum curator jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $51,482 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
5. Maine
Total museum curator jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $45,447 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 3.03
6. Virginia
Total museum curator jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $49,100 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.92
7. Rhode Island
Total museum curator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $53,845 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. Delaware
Total museum curator jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $53,869 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. New York
Total museum curator jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $48,731 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
10. California
Total museum curator jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $50,645 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
Museum curator jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a museum curator
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a museum curator
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $56,715 | $33,000 | 739,795 | 2 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $56,647 | $33,000 | 693,972 | 4 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $54,831 | $32,000 | 3,588,184 | 2 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $51,482 | $30,000 | 1,342,795 | 1 |
| 5 | Maine | $45,447 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 2 |
| 6 | Virginia | $49,100 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 9 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $53,845 | $31,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 8 | Delaware | $53,869 | $31,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 9 | New York | $48,731 | $28,000 | 19,849,399 | 11 |
| 10 | California | $50,645 | $29,000 | 39,536,653 | 19 |
| 11 | Texas | $46,089 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 4 |
| 12 | Nevada | $47,706 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 13 | Ohio | $44,310 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 3 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $44,018 | $25,000 | 12,805,537 | 4 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $45,176 | $27,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $43,121 | $25,000 | 6,859,819 | 9 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $44,742 | $30,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 18 | Arizona | $45,361 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 1 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $39,093 | $25,000 | 1,920,076 | 3 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $43,920 | $28,000 | 5,795,483 | 1 |
| 21 | Maryland | $42,488 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 8 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $39,971 | $25,000 | 4,454,189 | 2 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $38,734 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 4 |
| 24 | Oregon | $41,932 | $24,000 | 4,142,776 | 2 |
| 25 | Vermont | $43,232 | $26,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $37,957 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 2 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $38,317 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 2 |
| 28 | Indiana | $40,969 | $25,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $41,170 | $27,000 | 5,576,606 | 0 |
| 30 | Washington | $38,287 | $22,000 | 7,405,743 | 5 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $41,740 | $24,000 | 9,005,644 | 1 |
| 32 | Kansas | $36,677 | $23,000 | 2,913,123 | 2 |
| 33 | Michigan | $36,492 | $22,000 | 9,962,311 | 4 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $37,834 | $24,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $34,273 | $22,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 36 | Colorado | $36,411 | $22,000 | 5,607,154 | 6 |
| 37 | Georgia | $37,782 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 1 |
| 38 | Utah | $37,425 | $22,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 39 | Illinois | $37,131 | $23,000 | 12,802,023 | 5 |
| 40 | Alabama | $34,169 | $21,000 | 4,874,747 | 3 |
| 41 | Iowa | $34,995 | $22,000 | 3,145,711 | 1 |
| 42 | Idaho | $35,887 | $21,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $28,122 | $17,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 44 | Missouri | $33,450 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 3 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $33,343 | $20,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $31,985 | $19,000 | 10,273,419 | 3 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $32,753 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 48 | Florida | $30,668 | $20,000 | 20,984,400 | 7 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $31,737 | $23,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 50 | Montana | $32,626 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 0 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $31,085 | $19,000 | 5,024,369 | 1 |
Highest paying states for museum curators
| Rank | State | Avg. Museum Curator Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $56,715 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $56,647 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $54,831 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $51,482 |
| 5 | Maine | $45,447 |
| 6 | Virginia | $49,100 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $53,845 |
| 8 | Delaware | $53,869 |
| 9 | New York | $48,731 |
| 10 | California | $50,645 |
| 11 | Texas | $46,089 |
| 12 | Nevada | $47,706 |
| 13 | Ohio | $44,310 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $44,018 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $45,176 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $43,121 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $44,742 |
| 18 | Arizona | $45,361 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $39,093 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $43,920 |
| 21 | Maryland | $42,488 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $39,971 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $38,734 |
| 24 | Oregon | $41,932 |
| 25 | Vermont | $43,232 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $37,957 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $38,317 |
| 28 | Indiana | $40,969 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $41,170 |
| 30 | Washington | $38,287 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $41,740 |
| 32 | Kansas | $36,677 |
| 33 | Michigan | $36,492 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $37,834 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $34,273 |
| 36 | Colorado | $36,411 |
| 37 | Georgia | $37,782 |
| 38 | Utah | $37,425 |
| 39 | Illinois | $37,131 |
| 40 | Alabama | $34,169 |
| 41 | Iowa | $34,995 |
| 42 | Idaho | $35,887 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $28,122 |
| 44 | Missouri | $33,450 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $33,343 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $31,985 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $32,753 |
| 48 | Florida | $30,668 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $31,737 |
| 50 | Montana | $32,626 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $31,085 |
Museum curator best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025