Museum curator vs collections curator

The differences between museum 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 museum curator and a collections curator. Additionally, a collections curator has an average salary of $48,745, which is higher than the $44,309 average annual salary of a museum curator.

The top three skills for a museum curator include collections management, art collections and museum exhibits. The most important skills for a collections curator are collections management, museum collection, and condition reports.

Museum curator vs collections curator overview

	Museum Curator	Collections Curator
Yearly salary	$44,309	$48,745
Hourly rate	$21.30	$23.44
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	413	3,223
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Museum curator vs collections curator salary

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

	Museum Curator	Collections Curator
Average salary	$44,309	$48,745
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $77,000	Between $24,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Hampton, VA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Smithsonian Institution	Stanford University
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between museum curator and collections curator education

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

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

Museum curator vs collections curator demographics

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

	Museum Curator	Collections Curator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	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 museum curator and collections curator duties and responsibilities

Museum curator example responsibilities.

Review and edit listing photography and source photographers in various markets to capture unique accommodations and cover special assignments worldwide.
Fashion and coordinate historical costumes for first person interpretation

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.

Museum curator vs collections curator skills

Common museum curator skills

Collections Management, 29%
Art Collections, 14%
Museum Exhibits, 12%
Fine Arts, 11%
Educational Programs, 9%
Cataloging, 6%

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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Museum Curator vs Collections Curator

Updated January 8, 2025

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