Museum curator vs museum director

The differences between museum curators and museum directors 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 museum director. Additionally, a museum director has an average salary of $73,554, 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 museum director are museum operations, museum exhibits, and community outreach.

Museum curator vs museum director overview

	Museum Curator	Museum Director
Yearly salary	$44,309	$73,554
Hourly rate	$21.30	$35.36
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	413	7,882
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 museum director salary

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

	Museum Curator	Museum Director
Average salary	$44,309	$73,554
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $77,000	Between $40,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Smithsonian Institution	University of Southern California
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between museum curator and museum director education

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

	Museum Curator	Museum Director
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 museum director demographics

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

	Museum Curator	Museum Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
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, 5.0% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between museum curator and museum director 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

Museum director example responsibilities.

Manage FoxPro database of historical and archaeological collections locate at state parks throughout Florida.
Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
Lead the facility in implementing person-centered care/hospitality philosophy, electronic medical records, maximization of Medicare reimbursement, and alternative therapies.
Assist in launching an initiative to lobby the Kansas legislators and other elect officials to increase Medicaid reimbursement for assist living.

Museum curator vs museum director skills

Common museum curator skills

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

Common museum director skills

Museum Operations, 22%
Museum Exhibits, 18%
Community Outreach, 11%
Local Community, 11%
Collections Management, 10%
Museum Store, 8%

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Museum Curator
Museum Curator vs Museum Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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